Gift of math

Movie Review originally published on April 21, 2017 on lakecentralnews.com.

Film Director Marc Webb and Writer Tom Flynn delivered a warm, heartfelt message about the need to love and be loved in the movie “Gifted.” The movie released on April 7 and brought many families to the theaters to experience a single man raising a child prodigy.

Single uncle Frank Adler (Chris Evans) raises his seven-year-old niece, Mary (Mckenna Grace), who is offered a scholarship to a private school for gifted children, but he turns it down. Adler believes that his sister would have wanted Mary to experience a normal childhood. Mary’s maternal-grandmother wants to gain custody since she believes that Mary is a mathematical prodigy who should be specially tutored in preparation for a life devoted to mathematics. Adler results to putting Mary in foster care near him with her going to a private school, but he finds out that his mother is looking over Mary’s education. He has to figure out a way to get Mary back and let her live a normal childhood.

So far ‘Gifted” has made close to $5 million in the week and a half that it has been in theaters.

Q&A: Veronica Gonzalez (9)

Veronica Gonzalez (9) poses with her Doodle for Google project. Gonzalez represented the state of Indiana in the contest.

Q&A originally published on February 27, 2017 on lakecentralnews.com.

Q: How did you get involved in the Doodle for Google contest?

A: [I got involved because of] my Intro to 2D art class.

Q: What was your inspiration for your doodle?

A: I’m just so intrigued about the universe since it’s a mystery and so immense.

Q: Was it hard to come up with a design?

A: At the beginning I was kind of stuck and not really motivated since I saw the past winners of the contest and felt discouraged. There were so many endless possibilities for the future so it was hard to think of what to base my doodle on.

Q: How did you overcome your uncertainty for your doodle?

A: I started listening to music and dedicating some time to thinking of the future and drawing. I eventually started getting more and more ideas and got motivated.

Q: How long did you have to create your doodle?

A:  In the beginning I had a completely different idea, [but I had] a week. It took me about three days [to make my doodle].

Q: How does it feel to be representing Indiana in the Doodle for Google contest?

A: I’m so honored and grateful. It’s just unbelievable.

 

Winning against the wolves

Bailey Fehrman (10) and Meghan Long (10) try to get the ball away from the opposing team. The final score was 57-17.

Story originally published on December 14, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

On Friday, Dec. 9, the girls JV basketball team played against Michigan City. The girls defeated the Wolves with a final score of 57-17.

“I think we all played really well and we came out strong. We handled Michigan City’s pressure well and played a good defense. I love when Coach Gray draws up a play and it works perfectly,” Meghan Long (10) said.

The team had motivation to continue their winning streak this season. The girls were able to learn from past games and improve their plays.

“We definitely had a lot of motivation going in by hearing that Michigan City really wanted to beat us on our home court and ruin our winning streak. Every game we’re always hoping that we can play smarter and stronger than the other team,” Madison Dulski (9) said.

The girls feel that they have a strong season ahead of them and look forward to continue their winning streak.

“I’m feeling excited to play East Chicago; it should be a tough game, but we all love a tough game.” Long said.

The next girls JV basketball game is against Marian Catholic High School on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 10:30 a.m.

A night of celebration

Vehicles are parked while people gather in Centennial Park. The people were gathering at Munster’s annual Independence Day Celebration on Sunday, July 3.

Story originally published on July 13, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

The town of Munster, Ind. held their annual Independence Day Celebration on Sunday, July 3 at Centennial Park.

“I went [to see the fireworks] because I love watching fireworks, and it’s a great way to spend time with your loved ones,” Dakota Barnett (12) said.

Aside from the fireworks, there were different concessions and live music, featuring “Classical Blast.”

“I really liked being able to grab some food, listen to music and then watch the fireworks,” Ryan Zega (12) said.

Munster held their second part of the Independence Day Celebration on Monday, July 4 with their annual parade, which started at Fisher/Calumet Avenue at 2:00 p.m.

Trojans on the turf

Madisen Tucker (10) pitches the ball to Chesterton. This was the fourth home game.

Story originally published on April 27, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

On Tuesday, April 26, the varsity girls softball faced the Chesterton Trojans. The Lady Indians were defeated with a final score of 5-3.

“We had a rough outing at the plate and a couple errors in the field today, but we tried our hardest to fight till the end. A couple of our girls had some big hits and plays as well,” Crystal Guzman (11) said.

The Trojans put two points on the top of the first inning, and the Indians tied the score up with Gabriella Carra (9) hitting a double in the third inning.

“I was glad I was able to stop the pitchers no-hitter and that I was able to get something going for my team,” Carra said.

Even though the girls lost, they still stayed positive and found ways to improve their plays.

“I think we can improve on finding a way to shorten up and put the ball in play when runners are in scoring position. Personally, I need to work on staying ahead of hitters later in the game,” Madisen Tucker (10) said.

The next home game is against Bishop Noll on Friday, April 29 at 4:30 p.m.

AP Testing Tips

Mrs. Amanda Schuyler, Geography, holds an AP Human Geography book and study guide. Mrs. Schuyler is one of the two AP Human Geography teachers.

Story originally published on April 12, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

With less than a month until AP exams, students have been studying to score high on their exams. Mrs. Amanda Schuyler, one of the AP Human Geography teachers, gave some studying tips for passing AP exams.

1. “Break down the class (what units covered).
2. Come up with game plan (when to study, what to study, how long to study, how many days prior to the AP exam).
3. Figure out areas of strengths and weaknesses (take a diagnostic test to help figure this out).
4. Once the strengths and weaknesses are determined guide studying based on that (what vocabulary should be reviewed, what key principles).
5. Give yourself plenty of time to study – Don’t cram!
6. Create a study group (meet at school, Starbucks, Panera and break down the material. Create outlines.  By breaking up the material among people each person can focus on one unit or area and then pass out the most important material to the others).
7. Take practice tests, quizzes, writing prompts (whatever your specific AP test entails).
8. Week prior to the test – review your weakest areas.
9. The night before – Do nothing, sleep, relax!  Know that you have done everything in your power to prepare for the test!” Mrs. Schuyler said.

Q&A: Mrs. Jill Zilz, Math

Mrs. Jill Zilz, Math, takes a break from grading papers. Mrs. Zilz is a new Geometry teacher at Lake Central.

Q&A originally published on February 17, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

Q: Why did you want to become a teacher? Why did you chose to teach math?

A: I didn’t know I really wanted to be a teacher. I started out in elementary and I hated it. So then I went to secondary and I thought about what I wanted to do. I wasn’t a history girl, but I liked it in high school because I had a really, really good teacher. I liked math, but I didn’t have any good teachers in math. I wanted to be a better teacher than what I had in high school.

Q: What’s your favorite part about teaching?

A: I like being with the older group of kids because we can have conversations and talk about things other than math sometimes while still getting work done.

Q: How many years have you been teaching?

A: This is my 15th year teaching.

Q: Where did you teach at before you came to LC?

A: I used to work at Valpo.

Q: What made you start teaching at Lake Central?

A: A friend of mine, Mrs. [Jeanette] Gray, [Math], told me there was an opening. I was really excited because my kids go to the Lake Central School system, so it worked out a lot better for my homelife than when I was working at Valpo. When the chance came I took it, and I love working here.

Q: How was the transition of coming to a new school?

A: It was really hard because it was teaching a whole new subject, and I was set in my ways at Valpo and I knew how to get around and I knew all the people. Learning how to do that again here was a challenge.

Q: How was your first semester here with your new classes?

A: It was good; I liked it. I think it went really well.

The play against Clay

Keon Sellers (10) dribbles the ball down the court. The JV boys played against Clay High School on Saturday, Jan. 30.

Story originally published on February 1, 2016 on lakecentralnews.com.

On Saturday, Jan. 30, the JV boys basketball team defeated Clay High School with a final score of 70-19.

“I think we played well tonight. We were able to trust each other on both ends. Our box outs weren’t that great, but we can always improve on that at the next practice,” Justin Olesek (10) said.

The Indians took the lead early in the game, letting the Colonials score only two points in the first quarter.

“We really locked up on the defensive end and caused a lot of turnovers. That’s part of the reason we got such a good start,” Jack Davis (9) said.

This was an important game for the team aspect; the boys learned more about working together and communicating.

“We need to clean up some details, but I think we’re really starting to work and get together as a team,” Davis (9) said.

The JV boys basketball team will have their next home game on Friday, Feb. 12, against Michigan City at 5:30 p.m.

Q&A: With Meghan Long (9)

Meghan Long (9) tries to get past her opponent with the ball. Long has been playing basketball since third grade.

Q&A originally published December 11, 2015 on lakecentralnews.com.

Q: When did you start playing basketball?

A: I started playing [basketball] in third grade by playing Bitty Ball.

Q: What made you continue to play basketball?

A: I loved the fact that it was a physical contact sport because when I was three I started gymnastics, which was just a single effort. Basketball was just a better sport, and I loved it.

Q: What’s the main difference between the middle school and high school basketball?

A: Middle school was less competitive since I was on a team that wasn’t really well-supported, and now that I’m in high school I’m on a team that has better players and coaches.

Q: How was your transition from middle school to high school basketball?

A: It [my transition] was rough at first. I had cross country, so I missed two weeks of basketball, so I was behind and I didn’t know a lot of the plays. Everyone had to help and tell me what to do.

Q: How does it feel to be a freshman on JV and Varsity basketball?

A: It feels pretty good. It’s nice, but it also has its disadvantages because I’m a freshman. I’m new to [high school basketball], so I’m still learning and sometimes the other players don’t understand that.

Q: What are the main differences between JV and Varsity?

A: Varsity has much higher expectations. You’re supposed to know more of what you’re doing since it’s mostly made up of juniors and seniors who have been playing longer. Varsity also plays against a lot tougher teams. JV is the same pace as Varsity, but it’s not as difficult.

Q: Do you prefer playing on one team more than the other?

A: Not really. It mostly depends on the game. If I do bad one game then on the other I try harder to improve myself.

Q: Do you plan on playing basketball after high school?

A: I hope to play basketball for Purdue. Playing there has been my goal since fifth grade.

Indians take victory over Penn

Stephanie Dijak (9) looks for a player to pass the ball to. The game was their second home game.

Story originally published on November 23, 2015 on lakecentralnews.com.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the JV girls basketball team played a home game against Penn High School. The teams stayed in a close range the whole game, but the Lady Indians defeated the Kingsmen with a final score of 41-36.

“Overall, [I think] we played well and very hard today,” Anna Weir (10) said.

During the third quarter the score was close at Penn 32-31. The final quarter was intense with the clock stopping multiple times with just seconds left.

“It was great beating Penn [High School]. They always come thinking they’ll beat us, so it was nice showing them different,” Ashley Todd (10) said.

The Indians felt very accomplished and proud to have beat the Kingsmen. However, even after beating Penn High School, the Indians acknowledge they have some improvements to make.

“Even though we won, there are still some things that we need to work on. We will continue to work hard at practice and improve ourselves as a team,” Meghan Long (9) said.

The next JV girls basketball home game will be Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. against Merrillville.