What’s recently happened?
The Washington Township High School (WTHS) Student Council recently celebrated Halloween with its annual Spookfest. Student Council, run by Math Teacher Barb Peres, provides many opportunities for students every year to get involved with their school, participate in fun activities to raise school spirit, and volunteer. Not only that, but the Student Council provides fun events like Spookfest to all of those in the WTHS community.
Spookfest itself is an event held at Washington Township Elementary School (WTES) and run by the high school students. Every year, the students work hard to decorate the gym and set up games for the elementary school students. The elementary schoolers come dressed up with their families and go around playing games for candy. This year, the Student Council members worked incredibly hard to make it fun for the kids – supplying the candy, fully decorating the WTES gymnasium, and pulling it all together with their costumes.
“I like volunteering with Spookfest because it is fun to see the little kid's amazing costumes! It is such a fun time of the year because it gives us a chance to dress up as well. We get to run games that the kids love and look forward to every year,” said Freshman Angela Shear.
In the true fashion of the Halloween season, the kids were dressed in every costume you can imagine, with some getting especially creative. Walking around were witches, ghosts, monsters, and, even more specifically, little versions of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, a blow-up Patrick the Starfish, and a whole family specifically dressed in yellow.
“It was very fun, and I enjoyed being able to see the kids have fun at the games they were doing and the other kids encouraging the others to get the rings on the little octopus. It was really fun to see what a lot of the kids dressed up as and the different and unique costumes,” said Val Flint, who ran the get the ring on the octopus game.
Overall, the Student Council members and the kids all had a fun, memorable night and now have Spookfest to look forward to next year.
What’s coming up?
Sadly, Spooky Season is over, but now that the holiday season is coming up, there’s a lot to be excited for. Christmas music will soon be blasted through the halls, and the teachers will begin to decorate their classrooms. The WTHS choir and band is already preparing for its Christmas Concert that will take place in early December.
Before the Christmas Concert, the WTHS Talent Show will be taking place for the first time in four years. Choir Teacher Janet Wade is directing the talent show, and many acts have already signed up and started preparing. The talent show will take place on November 17, and all are welcome to come and watch the performances,
Fall Break just ended, and now students are looking forward to Thanksgiving break, which will start on November 22 and continue through November 27.
Winter sports will be starting soon. November marks the start of the basketball season, and the girls team specifically this year is prepared for an incredibly competitive year. The Homecoming game will be Friday, December 1, and the dance will be Saturday, December 2.
Staff spotlight:
Jennifer “Jennie” Butler, more commonly known as Senora, has been the beloved Spanish teacher at WTHS for eight years. Butler teaches all levels of Spanish and is known for keeping her classes fun and connecting with students throughout the years she gets to teach them.
Butler is originally from Rossville, Indiana, and attended Butler University for her bachelor degrees in Spanish and secondary education. She then went on to get her master’s degree from Western Governors University in learning and technology and recently finished 18 hours of graduate work in Spanish from Indiana University.
“I love learning about the culture and being able to teach it,” said Butler, “Being able to communicate and interact with people, especially since the U.S. has so many Spanish-speaking people, is pretty rad.”
Butler works hard to include not just basic language learning in her classes but aspects of foreign language that her students can use in the real world, such as creating resumés and market bargaining. She also shows her love of travel by incorporating culture into her classes, whether that means researching Spanish artists, bringing Latin food to school for students to try, or singing Selena on karaoke.
Other than teaching Spanish, Butler coaches the Spell Bowl team, which regularly goes to State, and is vice president of the Teacher’s Union. In her free time, Butler enjoys reading and looking for new opportunities to travel and have adventures. Along with that, Butler co-owns a farm with her siblings.
Butler lives with her husband, Andrew, a psychology professor at Valparaiso University, their 9-year-old son, Liam, who attends WTES and their three cats, Asia, Panthro, and Kona.
“I went to a small K-12 school, and I always dreamed of my son going to a K-12 school. When I taught at a big school for a year, I realized how much I missed that small school feel. I really like how the Washington Township community and school are so interconnected. I love the people I work with; we’re like legit friends and family here, and I’m proud of our academics and extracurriculars,” Butler said.
Many students view Butler as a mentor and intentionally take Spanish just to have her. Butler puts a lot into her students, constantly looking for ways to make her classes more interesting and finding creative ways to teach. In the future, Butler hopes to retire early and travel the world.
Student spotlight:
Elizabeth Ferjo is originally from Hobart, Indiana, and moved to Washington Township in fifth grade. Now a senior, Ferjo has been at Washington Township Schools (WTS) for eight years and is deeply involved with school through yearbook, being the WTHS Yearbook senior editor.
Ferjo puts a lot of work into the yearbook and takes editing seriously. Known by her friends as a very detail-oriented perfectionist, Ferjo takes time to make sure everything lines up, search for good pictures, create layouts, test out themes, find interesting things to write stories about, and help the younger Yearbook staff members who come to Ferjo for help.
“I don’t know what I want to do after high school, but I would like to do something that I can use the skills I’ve learned in Yearbook,” said Ferjo.
Other than that, Ferjo enjoys a multitude of hobbies, such as taking day trips to the beach to paint, shopping, photography, gardening, working at the movie theater, listening to Taylor Swift, and hanging out with friends.
“My favorite high school memory is after prom when my friends and I drove around blasting music and getting ice cream,” said Ferjo.
Ferjo lives with her parents, Mike and Melissa, and her little brother, Evan. Though Ferjo doesn’t know exactly what she will be doing next year, she shares the sentiments of many seniors right now. She is excited for many opportunities this year, such as going on the upcoming senior trip to Universal Studios, a field trip to the Christkindlmarket in Chicago, and Senior Sunrise this spring.