What's recently happened?
Morgan Township High School (MTHS) is heading into the last part of its 2023-2024 school year, with extracurricular elections and important events highlighting student success at the end of April.
One such event was the MTHS Academic Super Bowl teams' competition on April 16 at Wheeler High School. The competition determined which teams went to the state competition. The MTHS Fine Arts Academic Super Bowl team qualified for the state competition, scoring 20 out of 25. The rest of the teams scored high in their respective categories.
"My team and I are so honored and excited to be able to go to the Academic Super Bowl state competition this year. Looking forward, I know we'll all do our best and hopefully bring home another win," said Flannery Lindner, the Fine Arts Academic Super Bowl team captain.
Throughout the week of April 22-26, MTHS students participated in Prom Spirit Days.
Favorites included the rhyme without reason day on Thursday, April 25, and a color war between all high school grades on Friday, April 26.
Saturday, April 27, the day after the Prom Spirit Week, was Grand March and Prom. DJ Snow and Madelyn Easley were crowned Prom King and Queen respectively.
At the same time as Prom, the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) qualifiers were flying to Anaheim, California to compete in DECA internationals. ICDC spanned from April 27 to April 30, concluding the 2023-2024 DECA competitions.
What's coming up?
The MTHS Interact Club is nearing the end of the year with its annual spring highway cleanup on May 4. Officer elections for the 2024-2025 school year will also be held on May 1.
"I personally love being a part of the Interact Club at MTHS because of the sense of community that comes with working together in service to others. I know that I enjoy the highway cleanups because of the opportunity to partner with the Valparaiso Rotary Club, while also giving back locally. It is a great way to actively be involved and make a difference," said Jillian George, president of the Interact Club.
The MTHS Art Club will be holding its elections for officer and junior officer positions as well, which will be on May 1.
MTHS is also hosting its annual art show which will display students' artwork. The art show will be open to the public and is free to attend. The show will be held on May 9.
Another show coming up is the MTHS choir's end-of-year performance, in the cafeteria on May 22. The middle and high school choirs are coming together to sing, orchestrated by Choir Director Tammy Snyder.
Staff spotlight:
Charlotte Sekula has been MTHS' assistant principal for two years. She has always wanted to help students in and out of the classroom and finds that she can do that to the best of her abilities as an assistant principal.
"I love helping kids by creating connections and relationships. After a few years in the classroom, I decided that I wanted to make more global changes that would impact more students rather than focusing my attention on the 25 kids that were assigned to me every year. I have found that in the role of assistant principal, I can make connections with more students, teachers, and the community," Sekula said.
Sekula wears many hats as an assistant principal and seems to help anyone and everyone in the building. She helps the principal hire new faculty members, monitors state testing and attendance, and works with our guidance counselor Kimberly Wilkinson, and School Social Worker Mary Axarides.
"My job is full of problem-solving regardless of the situation. My true calling is to help students find creative ways to solve their issues ranging from relationships, academics, and home-life scenarios," Sekula said. "However, I truly enjoy working with a team of people to solve a challenging situation. I have found that by getting a group of individuals together who have the same goal of supporting students, we are able to come up with some amazing solutions."
Sekula is a hands-on member of the faculty, and she is an important part of bringing around new and exciting changes at MTHS, like bringing student opinions into meetings and helping new staff members.
"I am an equal member of our Building Leadership Team (BTL) which impacts most of what we do here at MTHS. The BLT is a team of teachers and staff members that meet to discuss issues that affect our school population and determine actionable steps for implementation. Next year, we will be including our Class Presidents in our BLT meeting. As a team we believe it is vital for our students to have a voice in the decision-making process on items that will ultimately impact them," Sekula said.
Student spotlight:
Emersyn Bland is a senior at MTHS, and is known for her dedication to everything she is involved in. Bland is an outstanding athlete who has broken several track and cross-country records and started the MTHS Women's Athletic Membership Club. She had a very impressive high school career.
"I am very passionate about running and am so excited to continue my future in it, hopefully, to inspire others with the strength to take advantage of small school opportunities and make a good thing out of whatever is given," said Bland.
Bland plans to continue her running career at Indiana State University while pursuing a degree in pre-veterinary medicine. She then plans to attend the University of Tennessee to earn her Veterinarian Graduate Degree.
"I love a good challenge, am very determined, and have a lot of discipline that I have gathered throughout the years," Bland said.
Bland is also involved in the Student Council, Honor Society, and the Indiana High School Athletic Association Student Leadership. She showcases her leadership and dedication through being a member of the clubs mentioned above along with being president of Key Club and vice president of Interact Club.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, God has a plan for you. Enjoy the present that is given to you," Bland said.
