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.

Dollars for scholars organizes new semi-formal dance

Story originally published in 2016 edition of Quiver yearbook.

Often, there is more work behind an event than meets the eye. The semi-formal Homecoming dance, donning the theme “Club Blue,”was held on Sept. 26 in the Rotunda. Dollars for Scholars was assigned the task of planning it.

“The location was definitely an issue because we wanted it here at the school, but we couldn’t use the gym. We tried to find a location that the students would enjoy and fit everyone that was coming,” Ms. Ashley Kline, Guidance, said.

However, choosing the location was only one task to check off the checklist.

“We haven’t had a [semi-formal Homecoming dance], so this was a first. It’s always difficult because we have to figure out where to have it, what type of attire to wear, [how] to make [the] cost affordable, decorations and [a] theme,” Asst. Principal Tim Powers said.

Despite the difficulties, the Homecoming dance went smoothly. The administration was a little worried about the outcome but were satisfied with the result.

“I was happy [with the dance]. The format was perfect. I wish more students would’ve purchased tickets and gone. [However], it was a great start. We had phenomenal support from the Dollars for Scholars students and the parents who run the organization,” Mr. Powers said.

The success of the dance benefited the students by providing over $6,000 of scholarship money for the class of 2016.

“Dollars for Scholars made a good amount of money from this dance, so that [will] be helpful to the class of 2016 for their scholarships,” Katrina Lozanoski (11) said.

The dance provided more than just scholarship money for the students. It also left them with reminiscent memories.

“I think [the dance] went great. I’ve only ever seen positive comments by everybody. There was actually a group of senior girls that came up to [Asst. Principal Marty] Freeman during the dance and said that it was the best dance that they’ve ever been to. We’re all very excited. It was a big team effort, but it was a success. We are looking forward to [the dance] next year,” Ms. Kline said.

“Being adopted doesn’t define me. Nothing really defines you. The only thing that defines you is yourself.”

Story originally published in 2016 edition of Quiver yearbook.

A constant cycle of packing and unpacking. For a majority of her life, Kristy Willis (10) had been living in foster care, constantly bouncing from home to home for years.

“There [were] homes where I only lived there for a day and a half,” Willis said.

A day and a half. 36 hours with a family and then time to move again.

“It’s hard on a young kid because they make friends and get attached to people, then they have to leave and it’s really hard on them. That goes for any age I guess. It’s just hard on the young kid because they are confused and scared [of] what is going on [and] that they are living with different people. When you constantly move into different places, they seclude themselves and don’t like opening up very much,” Willis said.

Relocating from home to home for so long left Willis with an unique independence.

“I’m not very dependent on people because I only had to live with myself for so long. When you stay in one place and move around, all you have is yourself because you can’t keep an attachment with [the] people you are with,” Willis said.

With this unique independence, Willis learned skills that otherwise she wouldn’t have gained.

“I realized who [my] friends [were] and who I [was] able to be attached to or who to watch out for because I went to so many different schools. I figured out who the people [were] that [I] should be close to. I learned how to care for [myself] independently. A lot of young kids learn it when they go through stuff like that, they kind of learned how to stay themselves and be independent and be able to do things by themselves and not rely on somebody.”

Now, Willis no longer has to constantly pack and unpack her belongings. She was formally adopted about two years ago.

“Honestly, [adoption] doesn’t make me any different. I still live with people that care for me. I’m a lot happier than I was. I have somewhere that I can stay living and not worry about where I’m going to live next,” Willis said.

Despite the impact living in foster homes has had on her life, she refuses to let that part of her life define her.

“Being adopted doesn’t define me. Nothing really defines you. The only thing that defines you is yourself. How you act and how you perceive things is what defines you,” Willis said.

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.