What’s recently happened?
Recently at Tri-Township High School (TTHS), the fall sports seasons just finished — Girls Volleyball, Girls Golf, and Boys & Girls Cross Country.
Each of these seasons were definitely exciting. Senior Night for these teams’ senior athletes was hosted October 7 at the Tiger Den in La Crosse.
These athletes were recognized for their four-year involvement in their respective sports:
Kennedy Cox (Girls Golf)
Caloe Peretti (Cross Country)
Jayde Pryor and Sydney Hudson (Girls Volleyball)
Scarecrow Festival
The Scarecrow Festival is a weekend long festival that excites everyone within the town. Tri-Township had its own booth that highlighted the school — showcasing the small school with Pre-K through 12th grade on one campus.
Some of the classes hosted fundraisers. The Senior Class hosted its annual Nelson’s Port-a-Pit Chicken and Pit-a-toes fundraiser.
Student Council
TTHS Student Council hosted the Halloween Dance, after electing the 2024-2025 Officers and Committee Chair(s).
The members are excited to raise school spirit and get more students involved. They have planned a “Class Competition” to carry out through the year, with the help of the Student Council sponsors Tori Lantz and Renae Warren. Each student earns a certain number of points attending a school-event, being on a sports team or club, and having school spirit.
Leo’s Club
TTHS Leo’s Club is all about giving back to the community through different community service activities and working with the Wanatah and La Crosse Lion’s Club(s). Recently, they elected their 2024-2025 officers.
Leo’s Club has been assisting with the Wanatah Lion’s Club Car Show Concessions, La Crosse Lions Club Pork Chop Fundraisers, 500 Turkeys Brownie Donations, and hosting its very own ‘Candy Day’ Fundraiser. With all these events, Leo’s Club definitely busy, but always eager to help their community.
“As the new Leo's Club sponsor, I'm excited and honored to be part of this amazing group. I’m looking forward to all the good we’ll accomplish together, not just for our school, but for our entire community. This is a special place, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to help our students make a meaningful difference here,” said Katie Wright, TTHS Leo’s Club Sponsor.
Seniors
With the year being a quarter of the way over, the Tri-Township Senior Class of 2025 is wasting no time during their final year together.
They began the year with taking the Senior athletic banner photos at the Tiger Den. The athletes spent a few hours together getting their photos taken by Photography by Jayme.
During September, the class held a “Senior Sunrise” event at Indiana Dunes State Park as a symbolic celebration of the opening of senior year.
Red Ribbon and Fall Spirit Week
Monday, October 21 marked the beginning of Fall Spirit and Red Ribbon Week.
Red Ribbon week is a yearly event that helps campaign for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness. Red Ribbon Week was started by the National Family Partnership (NFP) after the kidnapping, torture, and cruel murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent Enrique Camarena by drug traffickers in 1985. Today the red ribbon is recognized and displayed as a symbol of intolerance toward drug abuse. Over the years, the red awareness ribbon has become the symbol for the prevention of drunk driving as well as the solidarity of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Red Ribbon Week is now recognized by schools all over the nation to create awareness of the problems related to the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful drugs and to present to students a commitment to a healthy, safe, and drug-free lifestyle. Each year the students of Tri-Township join the celebration as students gain knowledge regarding the effects of drug abuse and the statistics of drug use in teens. For students at the high school, there are dress-up days, a door decorating contest, and daily announcements with interesting facts about the Red Ribbon Week.
Students have been eagerly participating in the Fall Spirit and Red Ribbon Week spirit days. Monday (10/21) was “Don’t Sleep on a Drug Free Life: Wear your pajamas.” Tuesday (10/22) was “Be a Pro, Say No to Drugs: Jersey Day.” Wednesday (10/23) was “Wacky Wednesday: Crazy Hair.” Thursday (10/24) was “Favorite Fall Flannel Day.” Friday (10/25) was “Freaky Friday: Swap Styles with a Friend or Staff Member.” Monday (10/28) was “Saying No to Drugs is No Sweat: Wear Sweatshirts / Sweatpants.” Tuesday (10/29) was “Red’y to be Drug Free: Wear Red.” Wednesday (10/30) was “Peace out to Drugs: Wear Tie-Dye and/or Peace Signs.” Thursday (10/31) was “Say Boo to Drugs: Wear a Halloween Costume or Shirt.”
What's coming up?
Winter is the busiest time of year for many student-athletes at Tri-Township. Girls and Boys Basketball, Cheerleading, and Dance have begun practicing for their upcoming seasons.
Girls Basketball
The Girls Basketball Team is under new coaching staff with Coach Christian Porter. The team is coming off a record-breaking season as the reigning Porter County Conference (PCC) Champions, Co-Round Robin Champions, and the best record in school history.
PCC Co-MVP Jayde Pryor is eager to start her final season of high school basketball. Pryor and the whole team have been putting in the work this offseason.
Boys Basketball
The Boys Basketball Team is looking forward to their 2024-2025 season. The team is looking to make this season better than the last. Coach Rick Snodgrass is ready to see his boys play at their full potential this season.
Cheerleading
The Cheerleading team is super excited to begin its season. Coach Michelle Peretti can’t wait to have all her girls on the floor giving it their all. The squad looks forward to getting the Tiger fans excited for each game.
Dance / Poms
The Dance Team is getting ready to have another great season. Although the team is small, it is comprised of fierce and experienced dancers. Coach Amanda Cox can’t wait for her girls to give their best performances this year.
Homecoming
Tri-Township hosts its Homecoming during the winter sports seasons. Homecoming is set for December 6 when the Boys and Girls Varsity Tigers host the Westville Blackhawks in a PCC showdown. Come out and see the Tri-Township Homecoming Court in-between the two games, and witness the school spirit of the Den-Defenders.
Staff spotlight:
Andrea McDonnell is in her second year of teaching Spanish at TTHS. With her being the only world language teacher at TTHS, she still finds time to enjoy her favorite activities which include cooking, reading, and being outdoors with her husband, son, and daughter.
“My classroom theme is Spanish culture. I think it's really important to introduce the students to all different aspects of the language. Art is a huge part of Spanish culture, so I always have artworks for my students to learn about.”
She enjoys teaching Spanish 1 because it gets the students ready to learn about the Spanish language and culture. She also enjoys teaching Spanish 3 and Spanish 4 since the students know more and are eager to continue learning.
Working at a small school like TTHS is exciting for many reasons, but McDonnell’s favorite part is the small class sizes and being able to get to know each student.
Student spotlight:
Jayden Carr is a Junior at TTHS. She plays volleyball, basketball, and softball, and is also involved in National Honor Society (NHS). Her favorite class is English with Jennifer McCormick.
“I’m proud to be a Tri-Township Tiger because we’re all tightly knit since we’re a small school,” Carr said.
Jayden also is in the LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Center for welding.
“I’m in welding because I want to own my own business. I want to create my own prints and designs.”
After high school, she plans to work in a fabrication shop and weld to get closer to her goal of owning her own business.
