Hi Times - LaPorte Community School Corporation · 2020. 7. 29. · May 2011 Hi Times Issue 8,...
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May 2011 Hi Times 602 F Street, LaPorte, IN 46350 Issue 8, Volume 102 IT’S YOUR WORLD! CENTERSPREAD Pages 4-5 Last-Minute Mother’s Day Ideas Page 2 Go Radio Promotes NEW ALBUM Page 6 Photo provided Rachel Weaver is the PNC College Bound coordinator. By Sarah Fisher Staff Writer Photo by Skyler Shortt Winter guard senior captain Lyndee Stisher won this year’s Midwest Color Guard Circuit Championships Scholarship. By Courtney West Staff Writer By Jennifer Szymkowski Staff Writer By Samantha Holifield Editor-in-Chief Purdue North Central offers an opportunity for students to get ready for college. Their program, PNC College Bound, is an educa- tional program that helps unlock doors for those knocking. Rachel Weaver, the coordinator of the program, has been involved with PNC College Bound since August of 2009. “I had been the School-Age Di- rector at the LaPorte Family Y for 14 years. Even though I absolutely loved my job at the Y, I was ready for a new challenge, for something different,” said Weaver. “Then I saw the job opening for the PNC College Bound Coordinator posi- tion. I applied for it; they inter- viewed me, and I was eventually offered the job.” The program is set up in two counties, three school corpora- tions and 10 schools. Almost 300 students, rang- ing from eighth grade to twelfth grade, are a part of the opportu- nity presented by PNC. “I really like the program,” said senior Gene Ward. “Students are recruited dur- ing the summer before their 8th grade year,” said Weaver. “Those students recruited have passed both sections of ISTEP, are on free lunch and who are considered a first generation college student, which means neither parent has a PNC College Bound program sets students on the path toward success Winter guard team excels during season; Senior captain wins major scholarship Join Hands Day provides LPHS students with local volunteer opportunities Bachelor's Degree.” PNC College Bound began in the Michigan City school areas in 2005. Later, College Bound branched out and expanded to its current area. “I have met all kinds of people, really. I have a lot more friends because of it,” said Ward. Being in the program allows students a chance to attend college with help. “If they [the students] maintain their part of the contract that they signed in 8th grade, PNC then re- wards them with tuition assistance which can only be used at Purdue North Central,” said Weaver. “However, the students still need to apply to PNC like they would any other University and must meet all admission requirements and be accepted by PNC first.” PNC College Bound has sev- eral opportunities for students to receive help when working toward their college goals. Weaver, along with her assistant, Patrice Hurley, meet with the students and talk to them about upcoming dates, how to prepare résumés and what colleges are looking for in incoming freshman. The program also has a job shadow day. “We organize 8th Grade Field Trips, the LPHS Job Shadow Day, the welcome dinner, recruit new students, keeping files up to date, contact parents to make them aware of any upcoming dates that they need to know of, set up Par- ent Workshops, run reports on College Bound numbers, are on different committees representing PNC, follow the students who are here at PNC, etc,” said Weaver. While Weaver and Huley help the students prepare for college, the responsibility ultimately falls on the students. “Patrice and I really are like each College Bound student’s per- sonal ‘Educational Advisor,’” said Weaver. The PNC College Bound pro- gram and any activities within the program are supported and sponsored only by Purdue North Central, Rachel Weaver and Patrice Huley. For information on the program or any questions, students can contact Rachel Weaver by calling her at (219)-785-5414 or emailing her at [email protected]. Memorial Day, which takes place on May 30, 2011, is a day of remembrance for those who have died while serving our country. Traditional observance of Memorial Day has faded over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day. LaPorte School Corpora- tion will not have school on Monday, May 30th, to honor the soldiers who risked their lives, or whose lives were taken in battle. The question is how many people actually use this day to honor and remember those brave soldiers, and how many people just pass it off as a three-day weekend. I recently interviewed a Viet- nam veteran, John Madonich. John is a close friend of the fam- ily, and he agreed to share some of his experiences of Vietnam with me. Q: Were you drafted or enlisted into the Army? Where were you living at the time? A: “I was drafted in the 1st Calvary- 35th infantry, 25th di- vision, and I had to quit college when this happened. I was liv- ing in the East Side of Chicago, and I was working at U.S Steel.” Q: What was your first day of service like? What all can you remember from those first couple of weeks? A: “The first day was pretty hectic. We had to go to an induction center and swear in. From there we had to board a plane. The engine on the first plane broke, and we had to get a second plane. Coincidentally, the second plane had something on it break, and we had to get a third plane. The plane was tak- ing us to Fort Polk in Louisiana, for our training. The first couple of weeks were spent in boot camp. Training was very intense because we had a lot to learn in very little time.” Q: Do you remember what it was like when you arrived in Vietnam? A: “It was very crazy, because you have people running in all different directions call- ing orders. It was extremely overwhelming because it takes a while before you actually come to terms with the fact that you are actually in the war. Like you’ve heard of the horrible things that have happened and can happen, and you realize you are in the middle of it. The worse part about it was that you are in unfamiliar territory. You’ve never been in a place like this before. The climate, the footing, just the whole scenario was like something you’ve never seen before. Before we knew it, we were stuck in the middle of jungle-like forests and huge fields, and we were actually fighting the Vietnam War.” Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share? A: “Well, it’s hard for most veterans to go into detail about what happens during battle, but something pretty amazing happened to me and my friend Kenneth Stumpf. We fought together, came home together, and also shared a once in a life- time experience together. The movie We Were Soldiers is actually based off of our infantry and the experiences we felt in Vietnam. Of course, the movie is not an exact replica of what hap- pened, and many scenes were added, but the battle scenes were based off of what we went through. Kenny and I were in- terviewed for the movie, and got to be on set while it was taped. I thought that was a wonder- ful experience, and it made me happy that other people could learn about what we had to go through.” Honor fallen U.S. soldiers every year on Memorial Day A Vietnam veteran shares his memories of war On April 2 and 3, the winter guard hosted the Midwest Color Guard Circuit Championships and took home first place with a score of 82.3. This is the seventh time the team has won its class at the MWCGC Championships. First place wasn’t the only valu- able recognition the team took home. Senior captain Lyndee Stisher won this year’s MWCGC Scholarship. “Winning this scholarship meant that all the work I had done had paid off. I was in guard for six years! Also, winning this means that I showed how well the La Porte instruc- tors taught me to be responsible and a leader,” said Stisher. The LaPorte Winter Guard team recently trav- eled to Dayton, Ohio, on April 7 to participate in the preliminaries for the Winter Guard Interna- tional World Championships, also known as WGI. The team performed at the Wright State University Nutter Center in Ohio. To prepare for the WGI Cham- On Join Hands Day, May 7, 2011, people will once again come together to make a difference in their communities by doing little projects that make a difference and bring young adults together. Join Hands Day helps all generations come together and build trust by bringing young people and adults together. It is a day to contribute to the community and begin a year-round process of relationship building. Join Hands Day is the only day of the year that targets and develops youth and adult relationships through neighborhood volunteering. The creators and sponsors of Join Hands Day are America’s Fraternal Benefit Societies. This special day has the largest charitable network of members. There are about nine million people in 30,000 local communities that are helping out the world. Junior Austin Alcorn has strong opinions about helping his community. “I think it’s amazing that there is so much violence in the world and people still come together to help one another,” said Austin Alcorn. “We should all learn from these people and do the same.” America’s Fraternal Benefits Societies provide their helpful members with opportunities to build character. Just by taking a stand and making a difference, people learn the qualities of lead- ership, patriotism, scholarship and volunteering to help others. To have the opportunity to get involved in Join Hands Day, call 1-800-236-3736 or visit the Join Hands web page at joinhands- day.org. Many of these activities could be a big help to any com- munity. Freshman Alondra Bonilla is also a strong believer in helping the community and thinks it is important to forge genuine con- nections with people. “When we join in by helping each other, it is possible to bring people closer to one another,” said Bonilla. This year, LaPorte County Thrivent for citizens is sponsoring and helping with activities for Join Hands Day. One project is the beautification of Serenity Gardens in Michigan City. Last year, 93% of Thrivent chapters conducted Join Hands Day activities, including LaPorte County. This resulted in nearly 3,000 activities and 590,000 volunteer hours of service. This year, the organization is hoping to achieve 100% participation. pionships, the team sacrificed a lot, with many gruel- ing practices. While the team did not advance to the next round, they placed in the 60s. “[My favor- ite part was] walking out onto the floor for the WGI prelims. Right before we went out I had a ton of girls around me crying and saying they would miss it. I loved it and I will miss all of my girls more than anything,” said Stisher. With a strong finish from the team, the girls are already looking forward to next year. “Winning this scholarship meant that all the work I had done had paid off.” -Lyndee Stisher, Senior
Transcript of Hi Times - LaPorte Community School Corporation · 2020. 7. 29. · May 2011 Hi Times Issue 8,...
May 2011
Hi Times602 F Street, LaPorte, IN 46350Issue 8, Volume 102
IT’S YOUR WORLD! CENTERSPREAD Pages 4-5
Last-Minute
Mother’s Day Ideas Page 2
Go Radio Promotes NEW ALBUM Page 6
Photo providedRachel Weaver is the PNC College Bound coordinator.
By Sarah FisherStaff Writer
Photo by Skyler Shortt
Winter guard senior captain Lyndee Stisher won this year’s Midwest Color Guard Circuit Championships Scholarship.
By Courtney WestStaff Writer
By Jennifer SzymkowskiStaff Writer
By Samantha HolifieldEditor-in-Chief
Purdue North Central offers an opportunity for students to get ready for college. Their program, PNC College Bound, is an educa-tional program that helps unlock doors for those knocking. Rachel Weaver, the coordinator of the program, has been involved with PNC College Bound since August of 2009. “I had been the School-Age Di-rector at the LaPorte Family Y for 14 years. Even though I absolutely loved my job at the Y, I was ready for a new challenge, for something different,” said Weaver. “Then I saw the job opening for the PNC College Bound Coordinator posi-tion. I applied for it; they inter-viewed me, and I was eventually offered the job.” The program is set up in two counties, three school corpora-tions and 10 schools. Almost 300 students, rang-ing from eighth grade to twelfth grade, are a part of the opportu-nity presented by PNC. “I really like the program,” said senior Gene Ward. “Students are recruited dur-ing the summer before their 8th grade year,” said Weaver. “Those students recruited have passed both sections of ISTEP, are on free lunch and who are considered a first generation college student, which means neither parent has a
PNC College Bound program sets students on the path toward success
Winter guard team excels during season; Senior captain wins major scholarship
Join Hands Day providesLPHS students with localvolunteer opportunities
Bachelor's Degree.” PNC College Bound began in the Michigan City school areas in 2005. Later, College Bound branched out and expanded to its current area. “I have met all kinds of people, really. I have a lot more friends because of it,” said Ward. Being in the program allows students a chance to attend college with help. “If they [the students] maintain their part of the contract that they signed in 8th grade, PNC then re-wards them with tuition assistance which can only be used at Purdue North Central,” said Weaver. “However, the students still need to apply to PNC like they would any other University and must meet all admission requirements and be accepted by PNC first.” PNC College Bound has sev-eral opportunities for students to receive help when working toward their college goals. Weaver, along with her assistant, Patrice Hurley, meet with the students and talk to them about upcoming dates, how to prepare résumés and what colleges are looking for in incoming freshman. The program also has a job shadow day. “We organize 8th Grade Field Trips, the LPHS Job Shadow Day, the welcome dinner, recruit new students, keeping files up to date, contact parents to make them aware of any upcoming dates that
they need to know of, set up Par-ent Workshops, run reports on College Bound numbers, are on different committees representing PNC, follow the students who are here at PNC, etc,” said Weaver. While Weaver and Huley help the students prepare for college, the responsibility ultimately falls on the students. “Patrice and I really are like each College Bound student’s per-sonal ‘Educational Advisor,’” said Weaver. The PNC College Bound pro-gram and any activities within the program are supported and sponsored only by Purdue North Central, Rachel Weaver and Patrice Huley. For information on the program or any questions, students can contact Rachel Weaver by calling her at (219)-785-5414 or emailing her at [email protected].
Memorial Day, which takes place on May 30, 2011, is a day of remembrance for those who have died while serving our country. Traditional observance of Memorial Day has faded over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day. LaPorte School Corpora-tion will not have school on Monday, May 30th, to honor the soldiers who risked their lives, or whose lives were taken in battle. The question is how many people actually use this day to honor and remember those brave soldiers, and how many people just pass it off as a three-day weekend. I recently interviewed a Viet-nam veteran, John Madonich. John is a close friend of the fam-ily, and he agreed to share some of his experiences of Vietnam with me.
Q: Were you drafted or enlisted into the Army? Where were you living at the time?
A: “I was drafted in the 1st Calvary- 35th infantry, 25th di-vision, and I had to quit college when this happened. I was liv-ing in the East Side of Chicago,
and I was working at U.S Steel.”
Q: What was your first day of service like? What all can you remember from those first couple of weeks?
A: “The first day was pretty hectic. We had to go to an induction center and swear in. From there we had to board a plane. The engine on the first plane broke, and we had to get a second plane. Coincidentally, the second plane had something on it break, and we had to get a third plane. The plane was tak-ing us to Fort Polk in Louisiana, for our training. The first couple of weeks were spent in boot camp. Training was very intense because we had a lot to learn in very little time.”
Q: Do you remember what it was like when you arrived in Vietnam?
A: “It was very crazy, because you have people running in all different directions call-ing orders. It was extremely overwhelming because it takes a while before you actually come to terms with the fact that you are actually in the war. Like you’ve heard of the horrible things that have happened and can happen, and you realize you are in the middle of it. The
worse part about it was that you are in unfamiliar territory. You’ve never been in a place like this before. The climate, the footing, just the whole scenario was like something you’ve never seen before. Before we knew it, we were stuck in the middle of jungle-like forests and huge fields, and we were actually fighting the Vietnam War.”
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: “Well, it’s hard for most veterans to go into detail about what happens during battle, but something pretty amazing happened to me and my friend Kenneth Stumpf. We fought together, came home together, and also shared a once in a life-time experience together. The movie We Were Soldiers is actually based off of our infantry and the experiences we felt in Vietnam. Of course, the movie is not an exact replica of what hap-pened, and many scenes were added, but the battle scenes were based off of what we went through. Kenny and I were in-terviewed for the movie, and got to be on set while it was taped. I thought that was a wonder-ful experience, and it made me happy that other people could learn about what we had to go through.”
Honor fallen U.S. soldiersevery year on Memorial Day A Vietnam veteran shares his memories of war
On April 2 and 3, the winter guard hosted the Midwest Color Guard Circuit Championships and took home first place with a score of 82.3. This is the seventh time the team has won its class at the MWCGC Championships. First place wasn’t the only valu-able recognition the team took home. Senior captain Lyndee Stisher won this year’s MWCGC Scholarship. “Winning this scholarship meant that all the work I had done had paid off. I was in guard for six years! Also, winning this means that I showed how well the La Porte instruc-tors taught me to be responsible and a leader,” said Stisher. The LaPorte Winter Guard team recently trav-eled to Dayton, Ohio, on April 7 to participate in the preliminaries for the Winter Guard Interna-tional World Championships, also known as WGI. The team performed at the Wright State University Nutter Center in Ohio. To prepare for the WGI Cham-
On Join Hands Day, May 7, 2011, people will once again come together to make a difference in their communities by doing little projects that make a difference and bring young adults together. Join Hands Day helps all generations come together and build trust by bringing young people and adults together. It is a day to contribute to the community and begin a year-round process of relationship building. Join Hands Day is the only day of the year that targets and develops youth and adult relationships through neighborhood volunteering. The creators and sponsors of Join Hands Day are America’s Fraternal Benefit Societies. This special day has the largest charitable network of members. There are about nine million people in 30,000 local communities that are helping out the world. Junior Austin Alcorn has strong opinions about helping his community. “I think it’s amazing that there is so much violence in the world and people still come together to help one another,” said Austin Alcorn. “We should all learn from these people and do the same.” America’s Fraternal Benefits Societies provide their helpful members with opportunities to build character. Just by taking a stand and making a difference, people learn the qualities of lead-ership, patriotism, scholarship and volunteering to help others. To have the opportunity to get involved in Join Hands Day, call 1-800-236-3736 or visit the Join Hands web page at joinhands-day.org. Many of these activities could be a big help to any com-munity. Freshman Alondra Bonilla is also a strong believer in helping the community and thinks it is important to forge genuine con-nections with people. “When we join in by helping each other, it is possible to bring people closer to one another,” said Bonilla. This year, LaPorte County Thrivent for citizens is sponsoring and helping with activities for Join Hands Day. One project is the beautification of Serenity Gardens in Michigan City. Last year, 93% of Thrivent chapters conducted Join Hands Day activities, including LaPorte County. This resulted in nearly 3,000 activities and 590,000 volunteer hours of service. This year, the organization is hoping to achieve 100% participation.
pionships, the team sacrificed a lot, with many gruel-ing practices. While the team did not advance to the next round, they placed in the 60s. “[My favor-
ite part was] walking out onto the floor for the WGI prelims. Right before we went out I had a ton of girls around me crying and saying they would miss it. I loved it and I will miss all of my girls more than anything,” said Stisher. With a strong finish from the team, the girls are already looking forward to next year.
“Winning this scholarship meant that all the work I had done
had paid off.”-Lyndee Stisher,
Senior
