#1StudentNWI: Homecoming and Engaging Education at Chesterton

#1StudentNWI: Homecoming and Engaging Education at Chesterton

What has happened?

Chesterton High School hosted their annual homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 21st at 7pm at the Chesterton High School football field and the homecoming dance on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7-10pm in the Chesterton High School cafeteria.

“We want this year to be as enjoyable as possible,” Head of Student Relations for Student Government senior Caroline Parks said.

The week leading up to homecoming was a spirit week inviting students to dress up on the themed days. There was a homecoming parade before homecoming game; the parade started from the Chesterton Middle School parking lot and circled around the downtown area to hand out candy to children and to show school pride. Sports teams and bigger clubs were featured on floats and smaller clubs walked behind bearing the gold flag with a trojan. The game included a performance from the Chesterton High School Trojan Guard and a flag ceremony to honor extracurriculars who showed school spirit. The game ended with a score of 20-14 with home sadly losing the game.

The game also awarded homecoming court. The dance had a ticket price of $10. The tickets were sold in the bookstore and the dance featured a photobooth for the first time.

What is happening?

The Chesterton High School French club is taking a field trip to the cultural festival known as Feast of the Hunter’s Moon located in Lafayette, Indiana on Sunday Oct. 7. The event is being run by french teachers Madame Betsy Glazner and Monsieur Jordan Nelson who run the club together. The event is a historic reenactment of 18th century and life of the people at Fort Ouiatenon, the first fortified European outpost in Indiana. The day will begin with buses leaving Chesterton High School at 8am and returning sometime around 5pm.

“There’s a lot of reenactments and there are a lot of people [dressed as those] who originally inhabited the area,” Glazner said. “There’s english speakers, they also have french speakers so you can see kind of back how people used to dress and speak and eat and there’s even food that you can buy and try and toys and clothes and lots of demonstrations; it’s a lot neater than I thought.”

Reenacted along the banks of the Wabash River, this will be the 50th year this festival has been held. The event attracts thousands of visitors. It is fun and informational for all ages and gives the opportunity to experience life as ancestors knew it and will educate French club members on the culture of past civilizations.

Student Spotlight

Gabe Kroeger is currently a Junior and participates in swimming. Kroeger and some other friends have recently started an SAT study group, which is sponsored by Mr. Ward.

“The study group is a way of getting students more involved in preparing for standardized tests.” Kroeger said. “Overall, we just want to promote better study habits and provide a way for students to learn how to study on their own or in small groups.”

The SAT study group gained some members when Gabe and others members of the club were seen representing the study group at an event that promotes students to join more clubs.

“We’ve already had a callout meeting and our first official meeting was on Tuesday September 19. We will meet twice a week right after school and out of school when members are available.” Kroeger said.

The group is always open to more members.

“Just email me or Mr. Ward to sign up.” Kroeger said.

Teacher Spotlight

U.S. History teacher Matt Gland and other Social Studies Department members have participated in an event that teaches students about the Civil War.

“Students were able to witness in a creative way what soldiers went through during the war, such as what they ate and what they wore, what the purposes of the clothing was,” Gland said. “They also got a glimpse into civil war medicine and how they treated diseases, battlefield wounds and such. Very informative.”

The event started with a presentation with a student volunteering themselves to dress in proper civil war attire that soldiers from Indiana would have worn, then witness the proper way to load a rifle and had to recite the steps on loading to be able to witness the gun going off.

After that presentation, the students tasted food that was eaten during the civil war. Food items included salt pork, hardtack, and ham and beans. After eating those historic flavors the students witnessed an amputation performed an a mannequin to demonstrate how often amputations were performed.

“The best part is when Mr. DeRuntz fires the guns,” Gland said.

The history department of CHS loves to do this event when all classes are nearing or are already studying the civil war so that the demonstration can really open their minds to what the soldiers experienced. The civil war is usually one the most interesting topics covered in US History and is favorite among many teachers.

“The civil war especially is a very interesting topic because the sacrifices these guys made,” Gland said. "To line up in the face of superior weaponry and use age old tactics that they knew would at least wound them, maybe even kill them, and do it time and time again required a lot of bravery. The bravery stands out then.”