What’s recently happened?
Valparaiso High School (VHS) just hosted their annual dance called Winter Formal. This formal took place on February 22 at VHS. The theme of this year's Winter Formal was Under the Sea.
“I thought the formal was fun, and it was actually a really chill night,” said Junior Aiden Moreno. “There were a lot of activities to do there. You could socialize with friends, dance, sing, and even take photos with your friends.”
You could say Winter Formal was a success this year for VHS as the next dance coming up is the most anticipated prom.
What’s coming up?
On March 4, the Vikings will take on Merriville in the IHSAA sectional tournament. It is the first game of the tournament.
The Vikings who started off this year hot, cooled down in December and January. There are many seniors on the team this year including Caden Crowell, Julian Stokes, and others.
Senior shooting guard, Julian Stokes had some words before their game next week.
“The mentality is to give 1000 percent and to leave it all on the floor. We are going to try and go out with a bang and shock everyone,” Stokes said.
This will be the last game Stokes plays at the high school level so he is gonna put everything he has to help his team win. He shows confidence and it’s contagious to the rest of the team.
“We have good confidence because we know we can do great things as a team together,” said Stokes.
Well the season has gone by fast for the Vikings, let’s see next week if they can keep their season alive.
Staff spotlight:
Bill Marshall, also heavily known as Coach Marshall, has been a staple for the VHS Football team and serves as a staff member here.
This year marks his 20th year teaching and coaching at VHS. With all of that experience, Marshall has learned a lot of lessons and experienced a lot of notable memories.
“The most valuable lesson I hope my students take away from my class is that each of us has a lifespan. The choices we make, the people we surround ourselves with, the information we consume, our emotional regulation, and the relationships we foster will determine not just the extent of that lifespan, but also the quality. Each and every day we have choices and they can either add to our life or detract from our life,” Marshall said.
There is always a reason for a teacher to become a teacher, Marshall’s former teachers have shown him to be a better human being. They have taught him to have respect and hard work.
“Teachers and coaches that I have had in the past inspired me to become a teacher and coach. I have had the blessing of having several great teachers and coaches throughout my life that understood that teaching and coaching were more than just educating and regurgitating facts or wins and losses. They taught me to be a better human and realize that anyone can attain their goals with proper guidance, support, hard work, discipline, humility, and selflessness,” Marshall said.
As a health teacher, a lot of people don’t know the true reason why Marshall wants to teach the subject.
“My favorite part about teaching is being able to specifically teach Health. This class teaches students skills that they can utilize and put into play for a lifetime. It covers all aspects of being human like physical, mental, emotional, and social,” Marshall said.
Marshall has made a big impact ever since coming to VHS. As a head coach, he has helped many players become better humans and shaped them to do great things in life. He has brought a state title to VHS and has also installed a great program while making it feel like a second home for players.
Student spotlight:
For the most of Dom Muryasz’s life he has been dealing with stage 3 kidney disease. Even though he is dealing with that, nothing has stopped him from going after what he wants.
Muryasz is a great student with a 4.0 GPA and is also a part of the VHS Swim Team. He strives to maintain his GPA and continue to swim as he won't stop for anything.
“I want to maintain my 4.0 GPA for the rest of the year. Outside of school, I want to focus more on getting better at playing the violin,” Muryasz said.
Outside of school, Muryasz plays the violin and enjoys working out. He focuses on that to keep his mental health in a great place.
“I like to read self-help books and I like to work out when I’m not in school. It really helps me to keep on going and not get negative about myself,” Muryasz said.
Ever since he was young, Muryasz struggled to battle with his kidney disease, That is what has made him who he is today. Muryasz has put his experience towards learning and working towards becoming a Pediatric Nephrologist.
He wants to become a Pediatric Neurologist because of what happened to him and his story. He wants to help others and find a cure for kidney disease when he is older.
“I want to be a pediatric nephrologist in the future. As someone with stage 3 kidney disease, I want to save lives like the doctors that saved mine,” Muryasz said.
The people who have helped Muryasz along the way are the ones who inspire him to keep going.
“My parents inspire me to help reach my goals. They push me to try and be the best me. I will always try to be on top. I work hard no matter how I feel or what is going on because of my parents and everything they have done for me,” Muryasz said.
