MHS Crier | Issue 8 | 3.17.2023

crier

Hello, my name is __

of House Bill 1608 on “Human Sexuality Instruction”

discuss

to use preferred names and pronouns

ous school, he was not allowed to go by his preferred name or pronouns and went through school-mandated therapy.

Editor’s

note: As per our anonymous policy in our mission statement, Crier provides anonymity if and only if the content matter is of high importance and if identification could bring possible harm towards the individual or others. The two sources granted anonymity were done with the goal of not forcing any transgender students to identify themselves if they chose not to.

Rowen Cohs, freshman, starts out his school days like any other student. He pulls up his laptop, opens up Microsoft Edge, set on getting his work done. Unlike any other student though, what he sees on the screen stops him in his tracks. Nearly each day, he sees a pop-up about yet another bill targeting transgender students: one preventing kids from receiving gender-affirming care, another preventing students from changing their preferred name.

“Sometimes I just have to close my computer and take a break,” Rowen said. “I’ll be having a good day, and I’ll open my computer up and see five pop ups of lawmakers trying to get things outlawed and it’s disappointing. It just forces me to think about my whole entire future, and I’m just supposed to be doing my work.”

HB 1608, is one of several proposed bills circulating throughout Indiana. If passed, it will not allow human sexuality to be taught to students in kindergarten through third grade, and would not allow a student to go by a preferred name or pronouns that are not consistent with their sex without parent permission. The bill that has already passed the House and is moving onto the Senate.

The reasoning behind such a bill reflects a concern amongst several parents that they should discuss sexuality with their students, rather than teachers. Rowen, however, worries that the bill would ruin the community he has established at MHS. At a previ-

“My teachers had known me since I was little, and treated me being transgender like it was this horrible thing that they couldn’t recognize,” Rowen said. “So, it was really great to be able to tell people my name and pronouns at MHS, and for others to not look at me like I was crazy or weird. It just feels so freeing to be able to use that and not have to face any consequences. Being able to go by what I want to go by, it’s created a lot of happiness for me. The bill would create so many problems at home, and they would obviously seep into the school.”

Mr. John Castro, President of the Munster School Board, stated that currently, neither the bill nor its ideas of parental transparency are a concern for Munster parents. From the perspective of the board, he reflected that the issue has yet to come up, especially as the bill has yet to be passed.

Gay-Straight Alliance has discussed the bill; however, at their most recent meeting, the students wrote letters to their representatives about the bill.

Mr. Ben Boruff, GSA sponsor, described the overall atmosphere of the meeting: frustration and anger. He believes that the bill hinders a school’s ability to provide safe spaces for students.

“This is perhaps one of the sadder kinds of responses that some of the students had—that this is just another drop in the bucket of discrimination,”

Mr. Boruff said. “It’s one thing for a student to walk into the room and know, ‘Mr. B supports me,’ but if I can’t say certain things to vocalize that support, it’s a different dynamic. It’s a less effective dynamic, and one that will ultimately hurt our students.”

HB 1608 has not been passed, but not having names or pronouns being respected by teachers is an experience that many transgender students go through. An anonymous sophomore shared an instance when a teacher at MHS who, no matter how many times they were corrected, still did not use the

student’s preferred pronouns. The source had even corrected the teacher during class, which caused a lot of stress for the sophomore because they were outed to the whole class.

“Every time I walked into that class, I just absolutely hated it,” an anonymous sophomore said. “A couple of times, I almost had a panic attack—the class caused a bunch of people that did not want to know, to know and I can’t predict how they are going to treat me after that.”

Parents are not the only advocates for this bill. Some students find that the bill isn’t necessarily an attack on LGBTQ+ rights, but that it reflects an overarching goal: parents should be more involve in education, and they have the right to teach their children.

“Parents should be more involved in education,” Patrick Cullars, senior, said. “The parents or the person who is in charge of the student, act in their best interest, and it’s ultimately no place for public schools, an arm of the government. It’s no place for the government to tell or to have to keep that from parents—it’s also dangerous for the parents not to know about it.”

An anonymous senior shared that they no longer go by their preferred name in part because of HB 1608 not making them feel safe. In that period of time, what stands out to the source is Mr. Steven Stepnoski, English teacher. He had never mixed up their preferred name with what was written in PowerSchool and made them feel as if it was never a big deal—a vital part in making Mr. Stepnoski’s English class a safe learning environment.

“It was a really validating experience for me because it finally felt like I did not have to fight to be seen,” Anonymous senior said. “I did not have to fight to be respected like all of my other peers were respected and called their correct names. That was something that to Mr. Stepnoski was probably super small and insignificant, but something that I’m going to remember forever.”

reena alsakaji & josephine mittelberger editor-in-chief and design chief

Students

implications

and the ability

source: Indana Department of Education

A look into recent club accomplishments

Crunching the numbers

seamus keegan page editor

Senate Bill 305, a bill that would expand funding for The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program, or school vouchers, and divert funds from public schools advanced on Wednesday. The bill would enlarge the pool of students eligible for the program and open the possibility of a voucher to almost every student in the state. What are Vouchers?

The school choice program is a way for families to afford private schools through assistance from the state. However, that means a loss in funding for the public schools they otherwise would have attended. Senate Bill 305 proposes a raise in the income threshold that qualifies families for the program to $200,000 a year. In areas where schools struggle to meet standards, it gives families the option to find schools offering a better education that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. According to Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, schools usually receive about $5,800 per student every year. Instead of schools receiving that $5,800, that money goes directly to parents, who then put that money toward private school tuition costs.

How does this affect Munster?

Munster schools are fortunate enough to offer an education ranked 7th in the state, according to Niche, so they are not affected by vouchers as much as areas with poorer education. However, any number of students leaving the Munster school system has a large impact on school finances. Mr. Nolan says that schools budget well in advance for the year ahead, but do not receive money until Sept. 15 of that year. Meaning if a student leaves Munster for a private school before Sept. 15, the money the school counted on is no longer available. Now, a school has to dip into emergency funding. In addition, according to Assistant Superintendent Steven Tripenfeldas, any time more state money is designated for private schools, it hurts all public schools in the state.

What opportunities does the program give students using it?

For students who transfer from a public school with poor education to a private school with a better education, the biggest benefit is a quality education. It also often means smaller class sizes, a closer-knit school community and a religious education for families with religious backgrounds.

What are some of the negative impacts on students attending public schools?

According to Mr. Nolan, students who leave public schools are more academically motivated, which leaves students who perform poorly in public schools that are already struggling with academics. This creates a cycle of high-performing students leaving, which in turn brings down the overall scores of the school, in a perpetual cycle that greatly impacts both the school and the students who don’t leave.

Although the program claims to give all students the opportunity to get a quality education, that Nolan says isn’t possible in rural areas that require long travel to private schools, or families that aren’t as invested in their child’s education. Mr. Tripenfeldas says this new bill is bad public policy, and contradicts the principles of the original law. He says this new bill will disrupt the order of public education funding because instead of taking socioeconomic factors into account when deciding funding, it offers funding to families almost regardless of financial status. This will reduce revenue received from the state of Indiana, and hurt the School Town of Munster.

Crier contacts Bowen Center, highlights student resources

emily dywan

page editor

For its second year, MHS has partnered with the Bowen Center, one of the largest community mental health care providers in Indiana.

According to the MHS’ Student Support Plan, the SSP provides three prepaid counseling sessions at the center as a trial at the Bowen Center. After the initial three sessions, the Bowen Center offers optional coverage options for continuing their service. Your decision of scheduling a meeting is entirely confidential in order to protect the privacy of students, but your guidance counselor is eligible to assist in setting appointments.

The SSP offers a variety of accommodation options. In the case that you don’t feel comfortable with a faceto-face consultation, the Bowen Center recommends telecounseling, a method in which you could receive therapy through an audio or video connection. If you can’t get around to scheduling a consultation during the school year, students are able to access their prepaid SSP sessions over summer break as well.

Crier directly called Bowen Center’s Julia Kelch, who is no longer the representative for the school board and is unavailable for contact. Instead, we were directed to new representative Kimberly Hershberger, which you can contact through the information attached.

WAYS TO CONTACT

WEBSITE Visit https://www.bowencenter.org/.

Click “schedule an appointment”.

The button will redirect you to a direct text-message with a Registration & Scheduling Department. By providing your full name, date of birth and scheduling request, you will be directed to a specialist as soon as available.

Questions?

NUMBER Call the Bowen Center at 1-800-342-5653.

The 800 number will refer you to their Registration & Scheduling Department. When available, a specialist will come in contact with you to work over scheduling availability at the center.

Connect with your guidance counselor for any questions regarding the Bowen Center. You can contact Munster’s Bowen Center representative Kimberly Hershberger through her email kimberly. hershberger@bowencenter.org. Although Kimberly isn’t available to schedule a counseling appointment for you at the Bowen Center, she can answer any other questions regarding counseling.

Science Olympiad competed at State at Purdue Northwest March 11 and placed second.

Science Olympiad Robotics

 CHECKIN IT OUT Doing manual checks, Veer Jhaveri, junior, and Mr. Ray Frystak, mentor, work with the parts on Pivot the robot. Manual checks are necessary in order to make sure everything is working correctly. In preparation for their second district competition March 24-26, Robotics has been continuing to make improvements to their robot. (photo by zoe clark)

DECA

At their state competition March 5-7, sophomores Diya Patel and Suvali Giridaran, juniors Hannah Loredo, Aadit Raikar and Dorsa Farahani and seniors Ajitesh Lalam, Shreya Patel and Anagha Kodukula placed in the top four in their category and will be advancing to Internationals in Orlando April 22-23.

Publications

Currently at Columbia University’s Spring Convention in New York City, Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman, publications adviser, is being awarded, alongside other teachers, for being a distinguished adviser in The National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year.

“This award is a reflection of the work I have put in over the past 10 years, but also how much I have learned while working with students over the past 10 years,” Ms. Lanman said.

Reena Alsakaji, senior and editor-in-chief, was a finalist for the Indiana Journalist of the Year Competition, earning $250.

“It means a lot because it highlights my progression throughout the years—not just as a writer, but as a reporter,” Reena said. “It also reflects my goal in telling authentic stories, and trying to teach my other staffers to do the same.”

Indiana High School Press Association Competition:

• Lita Cleary, Gia Cvitkovich and Ashley Garcia: second place for clubs/organizations

• Josephine Mittlberger: first for editorial writing

• Reena Alsakaji: second for news writing

• Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger: 1st for opinion

• Lauren Hoogeveen: second place for sports writing

• Lita Cleary: second place for yearbook ads/ index

• Paragon: 2023 yearbook Hoosier Star finalist

corrections

In Issue 7 of Crier, on page 2, the robotic competition was in the St. Joseph District. In the block schedule brief, Karol Ceja is a sophomore. In the Introduce a Girl to Engineering brief, it was held at Purdue University in West Lafayette. The photo TEAM APOPTOSIS was taken by Ethan Pischner. On pages 4-5, the year in the header should be 2023 and Joey Campagna is a junior. In both Hockey photos, Hayden Krupa goes to Marist High School in Illinois and Ryan DeGard goes to Oak Forest High School in Illinois. On page 6, in the caption BRAIN BREAK, Mrs. Linda Ramos is a special needs teacher. On page 8, Kam Hubbard’s second quote in the story should read, “I think BCC helps with that.” Also, the second senior quote in Backtalk that reads, “I think spring starts March 21st…” was not said by Lauralyn Courtney. Crier regrets these errors.

A look into how the Indiana voucher system affects public

 CASHING OUT Illustrating how MHS could lose money to private schools, Crier randomly selected a person to portray how anyone could use federal funding to go to a private school. If the bill was passed, the income threshold that qualifies families for the program would be raised to $200,000 a year. (photo by josephine mittelberger)

lauren hoogeveen

dorothy lakshmanamurthy

 LOCKED IN Concentrated by their work, Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman, publications adviser, and Reena Alsakaji, editor-in-chief, go over Crier’s final edits. (photo by marianna young)

Having been in the workforce since 14, I have my fair share of stories up to this point in my fairly short life. And while most of these will be muddled memories one day, I cannot say that I have learned nothing—how to carry plates so that the tower of plates is half my height, how to hold nearly 20 cups without spilling, how to create wall decor from scratch. But what will stick with me most is how to deal with the gender gap.

And I’m not talking about the wage gap, but something more abstract than that: how men act in professional settings versus women. At one restaurant I worked at, for a few months the only bussers working were me, a girl who was just 15, and a man in his 20s. When it came to the more difficult tasks, like taking out a trash bag that was almost as heavy as me, I did not let my coworker take it out every time—I’d roll up my sleeves and drag it out myself.

I felt as if I had to prove that every cent going my way was earned. So, when my coworker would only tend to the smaller half of the restaurant, or leave early and make me do his post work, or showed up 15 minutes after the restaurant opened leaving me to flip all 60 chairs that were “too big” for me to handle, I kept working. While I felt like my check had to be earned, it was clear to me that he felt as if his check was signed based on attendance alone.

This isn’t a pattern confined to the few months of work I had, but something that I have seen in school and extracurriculars I have been in. Although girls will typically do their work or help with a club no matter who is looking, when certain boys complete a task, he only does it to get praise from a teacher or club sponsor. Because of this, the work that some women put in is lost to the strategic “hard work” of even fewer men.

The frustration of hard work being overshadowed by a man with a big ego is something that many women can relate to. Many women who are in the workplace professionally struggle with being taken seriously and have less opportunities in their jobs due to that perception. Because we have always had to fight for our place in a voting booth, our spot in the workplace and our seat in a school: we always try to prove that we belong by picking up after others.

staff opinion

Error: Use temporary mailbox

From opening up the email to find that the server for seniors is down yet again, to opening a now-dead laptop that was meant to have two hours remaining, both students and staff have seen a variety of technological changes. In a Crier survey of 177 students, 27.1% of students reported having issues with school-provided technology daily, and 22% weekly.

we would like to see changes that help students without jeopardizing security.

our take

Students should have access to the technology that supports their learning needs, and discrepancies should be communicated

Crier recognizes that certain issues are inevitable. However, with emails constantly fluctuating in-and-out of operation and students unable to share anything outside of the Munster district,

For example, a Crier staffer reported having an issue with their email prior to the submission needed for their scholarship. Moreover, in that same survey, 72.3% of students reported that they needed to access their personal email during school. Students should have access to the resources they need to support their learning needs, including access to personal emails.

However, when taking a look at the specific issues students frequently face,

opinion backtalk what would you change about the technology we use?

“ I would change how many restrictions there are on certain websites, especially YouTube.”

“ I would make Mac computers as the new school computers, because they have better batteries and won’t have as many problems. You get your money’s worth.”

cavin mcnulty sophomore

An attack on innocence

“

our attention was brought to something else: transparency. According to Jarek Pozdzal, Chief Technology Officer, a call is sent out to families depending on the severity of the issue, and if said issue is district-wide. If not, teachers and staff are informed. Yet, students frequently find themselves caught off guard by yet another change made—not necessarily by Mr. Pozdzal. For example, our inability to share any Google Docs with personal emails after having such an ability for years. This occurred without any acknowledgement from the tech department or the administration, and students and staff were left unsure as to why such a change was made. At the very least, Crier would like to request that this transparency exist.

My laptop always gets super hot when I use it for an extended period of time. I would make them run cooler if I could, so I wouldn’t have to use an external keyboard.”

simon nirenberg junior

the topic of books was an arising issue in public schools. I continued surfing and became aware of the Indiana Senate Bill 12, also known as the Book Ban Bill.

“ I wish our emails would work better and not crash every month.

While on my frequent routine of unearthing conspiracy theories and controversial opinions, I stumbled upon a review of banned books from around the world. At the time, I was unaware that

Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached via mail at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321 or at (219) 836-3200, ext. 3443. Crier is published through the Advanced Student Media: Newspaper classes and extra-curricular involvement. Crier’s official website is mhsnews.net.

•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community. •Published material will stress objective reporting except on the opinion page. All published material will stress accuracy, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence. Corrections, when necessary, will be published on page 2.

•Opinions expressed in the newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration. All content is decided and produced solely by Crier staff.

•Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed.

Bill 12 was recently passed 37-12 in the Senate and is now headed to the House. The bill contains information on how parents can report books for “inappropriate” material. The bill also strips teachers and librarians from the ability to protect themselves from the law. But why would any educator need protection from the law?

Until reading excerpts from the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, I was unaware that extreme content like this was being displayed on

All letters must be signed and should be emailed to the editor (reenaalsakaji@gmail.com). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors.

•Anonymous sources will be used if and only if the content matter is of high importance and if identification could bring any possible harm towards the individual or others.

our staff

Editor-in-Chief Reena Alsakaji

Design Chief Josephine Mittelberger

Story Editor Lauren Hoogeveen

school library shelves. Kobabe writes about their experience growing up and discovering they were LGBTQ. The graphic novel contains panels of regular childhood endeavors but also explicit illustrations—things that no elementary or middle school-level kid should be reading. Now seeing examples of books that would be banned in Indiana schools, it’s obvious Senate Bill 12 would help end the hypersexualization of minors, especially in a place where we prioritize safety.

Along with Senators who voted for the bill, parents are being called “homophobic” because of wanting to be involved with what is taught to their kids. I would be more worried if they weren’t aware of books that could potentially groom their children.

Photography Trainer Marianna Young

Page Editors Seamus Keegan, Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy, Emily Dywan

Photographers Zoe Clark, Ethan Pischner, Marianna Young, Connor McDonald, Josephine Zangrilli, Lexi Villalobos

Business Manager Josephine Mittelberger

Cartoonist Damien Salahieh

Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman

illustration by damien salahieh

anagha kodukula senior

“I felt as if I had to prove that every cent going my way was earned.”

column by

josephine zangrilli photographer

column by

The price of being a woman

Good food, good mood

Staffers review different comfort food recipes for students to try over

dywan & lexi villalobos

PRESENTATION: 3/5

DIFFICULTY: 1/5

TASTE: 4/5

Bacon-wrapped dates

PRESENTATION: 2.5/5

DIFFICULTY: 3/5

TASTE: 3/5

OVERALL: 3/5

A stuffed date wrapped in bacon appe is a comfort food for Chef Angelique Kerg er, culinary teacher. The reason for this appetizer being such a comfort food is because, in simple words: it’s bacon and it tastes delicious.

“It is like candied bacon,” Ms. Kerger said. This appetizer is somewhat time consuming to make, particularly when working with the dates. However, if you get the dates pitted, the process will be easier. This is because you will just get right to the step of getting the cheese stuffed in. Chef and the staffers of Crier recommend that students try out this recipe.

“First of all, it’s very easy to make. And second of all, it is an ingredient that most people might not use, which is a date,” Ms. Kerger said.

The combination of the bacon, cheese, and date was an unusual but delectable fusion of sweet and savory.

Cheesecake cupcake

PRESENTATION: 5/5

DIFFICULTY: 3/5

TASTE: 5/5

OVERALL: 5/5

For dessert, individual cheesecakes are what Isa Gonzalez, junior, enjoys for her comfort food. Growing up, baking has been an outlet for her to express her creativity.

“For me, this recipe has always

been a form of self care, and it gives me the chance to be alone with my thoughts. There’s a lot of room for cre ativity,” Isa said. “It has always been a staple recipe for all sorts of occasions and holidays.”

These adorable little cheesecakes are perfect to bake with friends, with a versatile variety of topping options from your favorite fruit jams to cara mels. We recommend trying the cara mel topping, which adds an incredi bly rich measure to this sweet dessert.

Lucky elixirs Staffers review St. Patrick’s day drinks

It is exciting to see a St. Patrick’s’ day themed treat that isn’t green or mint flavored. It is a classic strawberry shake, but what they call “rainbow sprinkles,” which are more crushed up cereal, gives it the satisfying crunch that it needs. The mix of the strawberry and the slight taste of the sprinkles is satisfying on the tongue. Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something fruit-flavored this St. Patrick’s Day.

Dunkin’ Irish Creme Latte 2/5

The basic latte taste is not very special for being a limited time drink, and is mediocre for this reason. The supposed irish cream flavor is not apparent, despite it being advertised for that specific purpose. Instead of the irish cream, which they definitely could have added more of as a base flavor, the coffee taste is strong while not being bitter, so it’s ideal for people wanting an extra kick.

that makes this shake un drinkable. Upon the first sip, your taste buds are hit with mint. The prob lem is that this drink has nothing left to offer. There’s no sweetness or creaminess that you might expect in a milkshake. You’d be better off making the drink at home.

Under the Rainbow 4/5

photos by lexi villalobos

photos by zoe clark

Talk that talk

Seventeen Speech and Debate students qualify for Nationals in June

dorothy lakshmanamurthy page editor

Hearing her name announced in the first place spot for dramatic interpretation at the highly competitive National qualifying competition at Bishop Noll on March 4, Jordan Fefferman, sophomore, was filled with excitement as she obtained a spot at Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona in June.

“I was so happy when I heard my name and to know that I qualified again for my second year,” Jordan said. “I cannot wait to go, especially since my piece is extremely important to me.”

Jordan’s piece, “Lily’s Promise,” reflects an important message regarding her own Jewish culture. Jordan portrays a ninety-six year old Holocaust survivor, Lily, as she faces modern-day anti-Semitism.

“My piece gives me a way to speak against antisemitism, share Lily’s message and teach others things they likely didn’t know before,” Jordan said. “With such a heavy and dark topic, I can see the real-life effects it has.”

Including Jordan, there are 17 national qualifiers. One of these qualifiers, Anna Raycroft, senior, was able to auto-qualify for Nationals this year, for humorous interpretation, since she semi-finaled at Nationals last year. At the National competition, she will be recognized and honored for qualifying for Nationals all four years.

“It’s honestly such a surreal experience,” Anna said. “When I found out I ‘semied,’ I was crying and I hugged it out with some of my teammates. My team was so happy for me.”

Along with the individual qualifying achieve-

ments, the whole speech team won the State championship in Indianapolis last weekend. This is the thirteenth consecutive year that the team has won the State championship title. Mr. Jor dan Mayer, speech coach, credits his team for collaborating together to obtain the title.

“We are quite young in that the majority of our team are underclass students,” Mr. Mayer said. “This has been a year that has really demon strated how our veterans and our beginners can work together. We give tremendous credit to our veterans for mentoring and coaching our beginners. We also give tremendous credit to our beginners, for rising up to the occasion and making wonderful progress.”

“Happiness is a state of being. Happiness is finding what you love about yourself and sharing it. If we feed ourselves proof of the diversity that exists in the world, we WILL learn to appreciate all bodies for what they are: A- OK. Awesome. Maybe even perfect.”

After State, the team takes a break to work on fine-tuning their pieces. They will send videos of their performances to trusted speech peers within the community and across the country, along with collaborating with one another on the team, to gather feedback for several May competitions and further prepare for Nationals.

“It’s important to pay attention to all the lit tle details of our pieces,” Delaney Craig, junior, said. “Every piece has a formula with a teaser, in tro, body, climax, and falling action. The goal is to, within that formula, grab the audiences’ at tention, reach their heart, and spread a message.”

“Powerful next-generation instruments will bring us closer to what would be a long-antic ipated, profound discovery: a small, rocky, habitable world somewhere in the galaxy with an atmosphere that reminds us of our own.”

(From

Practicing

“My favorite moments of the season occur during the downtime at tournaments where we can have fun, and I can joke around with my teammates.”

National Qualifiers

Jordan Fefferman - Dramatic Interpretation

Delaney Craig- Dramatic Interpretation

Anna Raycroft- auto-qualifier in Humorous Interpretation.

Tara Gaither/James Ferguson - Duo Interpretation.

Nneka Oniah/Niah Maduakoloam - Duo Interpretation

Kam Hubbard- Programmed Oral Interpretation

Grace Harris- Programmed Oral Interpretation

Gabriela Ruiz - Original Oratory

Katherine Sheehan- Informative Speaking

Addy Ellis- Informative Speaking

Claire Han- International Extemporaneous Speaking

Luna Gutierrez- United States Extemporaneous Speaking

Asha Patel- Congressional Debate

Ayush Arora- Congressional Debate

Dorsa Farahani- Congressional Debate

“When I was brought to Auschwitz they told me that the only way out was through the chimney, yet I am still here. But I wish I could protect the world from people who question survivors’ testimonies and claim exaggeration”

Speech State Champions 2023

For the thirteenth consecutive year, Speech again holds the title of State Champions.

State Finalists

Kam Hubbard -1st

Ari Jamerson - 3rd

Andrea Njakara - 5th

Anna Raycroft - 2nd

Jordan Fefferman - 2nd

Delaney Craig - 4th

Annabelle Spicer - 2nd

Alicia Powell - 2nd

Claire Han - 2nd

top to bottom)  STANDING OUT Performing at the Munster Speech Meet, Jordan Fefferman, sophomore, competes in the dramatic interpretation division for her piece, “Lily’s Promise.” (photo by josephine mittelberger)  IMPERFECTLY PERFECT

her piece, Grace Harris, junior, works on her piece, “Every Body is Perfect,” for the programmed oral interpretation division. (photo by ethan pischner)  TO THE POINT Pointing at his computer, Ayush Arora, senior, does research for his debate piece. (photo by hadyn howell)  OUT OF THIS WORLD Reciting her speech, Addy Ellis, sophomore, practices her piece, “The Sky is the Limit,” for the informative speaking division. (photo by zoe clark)  WAFFLE BREAK Taking a break, Jordan Fefferman, sophomore, toasts a waffle during the Munster Speech Meet. (photo by josephine mittelberger)

The Sky is the Limit piece by addy ellis

Lily’s Promise piece by jordan fefferman

jordan fefferman sophomore

Every Body is Perfect piece by grace harris

Shutting down...

With school technology causing issues, Chief Technology Officer answers pertinent questions

Crier reached out to the technology department to understand some of the issues that students across the school have been experiencing. We specifically asked about emails being unavailable, batteries not 650

58%

lasting the entire day, not being able to bring in personal laptops and how there could potentially be clearer communication between the technology department and students so we could be forewarned when issues occur.

General Issues:

A few issues that Gernie Galvan, senior, has come across are the touch screen mysteriously generating many touch inputs when no one has touched it, the starting screen taking an extremely long time to load and the laptop crashing when running larger programs for projects like an AP Composition presentation. He finds that the Media Center will often re-image the laptop, which is not a blanket solution for a lot of problems.

22% of students have weekly tech issues

Look out for Crier's special issue!

For our next issue, we want to take a look what unique experiences students have throughout the course of their education that we may not already know.

If you would like to be featured, or are interested in learning more, please contact Reena Alsakaji (9002059@student.munster.us)

On the other hand, Mr. Ryan Popa, Cy-

60% of senior respondents use email on a daily basis

berPatriot sponsor, has had a more positive experience with the technology. When CyberPatriot needed access to VMware, Mr. Popa was able to easily get in touch with Mr. Kurt Popavich, Sr District Systems Administrator, and got a code so only CyberPatriot students could access the site.

Battery Problem:

Many students go through the school day tied to an outlet because of how fast their batteries drain. Despite having an estimate of eight hours remaining, a laptop may only have a few hours before it shuts down.

Solution—

“These devices are now 3 years old and a typical lifespan of a battery is 2 years or less,” Mr. Jarek Pozdzal, Chief Technology Officer, said. “Any student who has a device with an

friday, march 17, 2023

unhealthy batteryshould contact the media center to report the issue. Then, the technology team will replace the battery.”

Email Problem:

Days before a large scholarship deadline, senior emails were completely inaccessible—and this was not the first time emails had gone down without warning. A similar incident had occurred at the beginning of the school year, and seniors could not access emails for weeks.

Solution—

“Those issues last year were caused by old hardware that wasn’t holding up anymore. The most recent outage was caused by a critical security patch that failed while being applied, which crippled the system,” Mr. Pozdzal said. “While we strive to have everything up and running 24/7, there are instances where we may run into issues creating an outage.”

Personal Laptops:

At the beginning of the year, it was repeated over the announcements that students were not allowed to bring personal laptops to school. Since they are the only devices that can access personal emails, juniors and seniors struggle to work on college prep.

“The reason personal computers are not allowed is related to security,” Mr. Pozdzal said. “We have no insight into what is brought in and connected on our network. While we have measures in place to protect our systems and network, a vulnerable endpoint such as a student owned device can do a lot of damage. The overall goal is to ensure that students and teachers have a platform that is standardized so that we can deliver instruction with the use of technology with minimal interruptions. This ensures that all students have a working device at all times.”

josephine mittelberger

 FAILURE TO COMPUTE One of the main issues facing the student body is senior emails. They are down often, leaving seniors without access to important messages. (photo by ethan pischner)

Crier’s survey of 177 students from March 8-March 13.

Crier’s survey of 177 students from March 8-March 13.

Crier’s survey of 177 students from March 8-March 13.

Softball’s first game March 22

‘Inclusive, not encouraged’

In honor of Women’s History Month, women athletes share their stories

josephine zangrilli photographer

When she first joined the Munster Hockey Club as a freshman, Evi Alldering, senior, was only seen as a small girl. Quickly, she set the record straight—she was there to play.

“In the beginning, it was hard,” Alldering said “The boys just thought, ‘Oh it’s a little girl. She can’t stop our shots.”

Over the past four seasons at the Kube ice rink in Hammond, she has played varsity and made the Mustang All-Star team.

The month of March is dedicated to celebrating the history and accomplishments of women. While laws have been passed to make it possible for women to compete in sports, some athletes find that there are still roadblocks women face today.

Goal Five, a sportswear brand, who pushes for equal pay, reported 40% of the make-up of athletes are female, only 4% of sport’s media coverage is women. This statistic coincides with high school sports.

Lia Sotiropoulos, a sophomore who plays basketball, expressed her disappointment in the large difference in attention the girls’ bas-

ketball team receives compared to the boys.

“It kind of sucks we don’t get the same support as the boys,” Sotiropoulos said, “Especially since our games are just as entertaining.”

Arroya Mongerie, a freshman, reflected on the low attendance at girls’ games, though for a different reason. She said she did notice the empty student sections but it wasn’t a negative component. It helps boost her confidence during game play.

“When there’s a larger student section, I feel more pressure and end up playing worse,” Mongerie said.

During the off-season, when the girls’ basketball team isn’t competing on the court, the girls condition in the fieldhouse. Working alongside the football team, they are disregarded and are often forced to abandon their training.

“One problem we have is that we will get kicked out for the football team,” Mongerie said. “It’s upsetting since the fieldhouse is our place to train and compete.”

Along with morale, female athletes lack access to properly fitted uniforms. Freshman

Back on track

Feeling the adrenaline rush as she got set into her race-ready position, Keira Trimolt, junior, anticipates the starting gun shot for her first ever track meet. She secured a second place finish in the 55 meter dash and third place in the 200 meter dash.

“I was nervous because it was my first race,” Trimolt said. “Before I knew it, the race was over and I had placed very well amongst great competitors.”

The track team has been to two meets to start off their season. Their most recent at Purdue Lafayette March 11, allowed the students to qualify for the upcoming Indoor State Finals March 25 at Indiana University in Bloomington. They have been practicing everyday after school to prepare for the many upcoming meets of the season.

“Everyone gives it their all during practices to do their best at meets and to ensure the main goal—making it to State in June,” Khtab Ishtawi, senior, said. “While I am ex-

hausted at times, my teammates and the new coaches keep me going. I lock in while racing and only think about reaching the finish.”

One of the new coaches, Mrs. Koula Amanatidis, computer science teacher, was excited to take on a new role this year, as she coached track before at her former school in Texas. Her favorite part of coaching is the outside practices with the team, which has been difficult due to the current weather conditions.

“When we go outside, the whole team comes alive,” Mrs. Amanatidis said. “It is nice because the sun is out, so the team generally feels good and is performing better.”

Performing on the track for his last season, it is bittersweet for Ishtawi. He tries to be as involved as possible, as he participates in several track events.

“If doing all these events means scoring more points for my team, I will do it,” Ishtawi said. “I enjoy being at the meets with my team because we can show how hard we have worked and bring all the energy.”

Ava Walker shared her struggle with having to wear male-cut singlets while she wrestles. Although Indiana wrestling rules have changed to allow girls to only sports bras underneath, they are confronted by referees for being “too exposed” due to the fact they aren’t correctly fitted.

“Other teams get their girls new singlets,” Walker said, “While we have to wear ones without logos that aren’t fitted for our body types.”

Savannah Nuetzel, a sophomore, joined the football team at the beginning of this year. Although she was a bit skeptical about joining the team at first, attending a few practices helped her feel welcomed and excited to join. After a season of playing alongside boys, she says she made a lot of great relationships with the team.

“I did not join the team just to just say I am a girl on the team,” Nuetzel said . “I joined the team because I liked doing what I was doing. I just wanted to try out a new sport and see how far I could kick the ball. Once I joined, the team was nice and treated me like any other teammate.”

As the team’s roster was finalized on March 8, Softball has been warming up for their season by practicing their drills and hitting in the gym. Varsity has been working towards their first home game against Providence Catholic on March 22. A year ago, they ended their season as Conference Champions and hope to carry this title this year as well.

“Going into the season, I’m feeling optimistic,” Coach Jill Perez, also a social studies teacher at WWMS, said. “We’ve been fortunate to see many returning players back in our program this year and our younger team’s filled with a lot of players who have positive energy. As a team, we aim to be the Conference Champions and hope to have success in the postseason.”

Cheer prepares for nationals

lauren hoogeveen story editor

Anxiously whispering while waiting for the announcement of who won Grand Champions, the cheer team jumped up the second they heard “Munster.” At the Feb. 26 competition at Andrean High School, the team also placed first in their division. Preparing for Nationals in Sandusky, Ohio tomorrow, they had four hour practices over weekends in which they did full-outs of their routine—including every single stunt and tumbling pass as if they were performing. After getting a concussion, Meagan Hudson, senior, cannot participate in her last competition.

“It’s very bittersweet because although I am so excited for college and what my future holds, I am going to miss these girls so much,” Hudson said. “I will forever cherish how special this team has made my final season.”

 FOLLOW THE LEADER Turning the corner, from left to right seniors Corey Dennis and Dayo Adeoye, sophomores Kwaku Awuah and Ryan Bouktache and Jacob Mazumdar, senior, run their warm up laps in preparation for their upcoming meet. (photo by marianna young)



 IN A CHEERFUL MOOD Standing in formation, from left to right, sophomores Scarlett Mrvan and Nadia Pierre-Auguste and juniors Morgan Samuel and Kiki Petrovic prepare to cheer at the Boys’ Basketball Sectional game. “I love performing at the games,” Petrovic said. “The energy of the student section creates an exciting environment and helps boost overall morale.” (photo by lexi villalobos)

 PLAY BALL During practice, Giana Gallardo, sophomore, throws the ball to her drill partner. (photo by marianna young)

 MUSCLE UP Posing proudly, left to right, Arroya Mongerie, freshman, Evi Allerding, senior, and Savannah Nuetzel, sophomore, represent strong and talented student- athletes in honor of Women’s History Month. Mongerie plays basketball, Allerding plays hockey and softball and Nuetzel plays soccer, football and runs track. ”Every time someone said I couldn’t, it made me want to go harder,” Allerding said. (photos by lexi villalobos and josephine zangrilli)

dorothy lakshmanamurthy page editor

Beyond the stage

friday, march 17, 2023

backtalk

A place to be heard

In spirit of Music in Our Schools

Month (MIOSM), MTC hopes to bring awareness to musical education. In this showcase, students have a chance to view a range of performing arts, from the MTC’s top scoring stars to ACDA, nationally acclaimed singers. The free-admission showcase will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium followed by a dessert reception.

Theatre

Senior and MTC President Isidora Pavlic and the theater leadership team have been behind organizing the performing arts showcase, in hopes to exemplify the value of the performing arts into one harmonious display.

“I wanted something that was a love letter to the arts,” Isidora said. “We want to represent the performing arts groups, and what performing arts education means.”

MTC will be spotlighting some of their top-scoring performers from the International Thespian Excellence Awards program. Junior and MTC Second Vice President Clover Sarkady will be performing two monologues.

“Being on stage allows me to destresses from everything going on everywhere else,” Clover said. “I get to show people who I am without being scared like I usually would be.”

Choir

The choir will feature juniors Shana Shah and Diego Casas and senior Elliot McKeever.

Recently, students were invited to perform with an honors choir at the National Choral Directors Association conference. Being selected out of thousands of applicants, this accomplishment is a breakthrough in STM’s vocal department.

“Singing for me is a way to connect to the community around me.” Anagha Kodukula, senior, said. “It helps me form meaningful relationships.”

MTC will also be featuring two members’ technical portfolios in the theater lobby. Sophmore and house manager Pemi Ogunjimi will be presenting her superior in theater marketing achievement while freshman Rhiannon Shelton will be presenting her costume designs for Wit. Rhiannon had the opportunity to display these costumes at a panel of judges for a state costume design competition, and achieved an Excellence award 0.67 points away from a perfect score.

“We all raise each other’s spirits and I’m very grateful to have theater in my life,” Rhiannon said. “It has given me so much opportunity already as well as an outlet to prepare for my future.”

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of MIOSM, the choir has been updating their social media pages. Exciting new events include a new commissioned song, written specifically for MHS by Zach Flasch called “Spaces in our Togetherness.” The choir will be showcasing their new original song to both the school and Europe during their summer tour.

Seniors Kit Eisha and Dominic Chudziak, and potentially others, will be representing Band in the showcase, performing her ISSMA solo on clarinet. Starting her musical journey in the fourth grade with the clarinet, Kit expresses her passion for orchestra.

“It’s always been the only thing I’ve ever really been good at,” she said. “For me, it’s been an outlet and reminder that I can be more than what I really am and do something I’m proud of.”

Band Orchestra

While Orchestra has not been actively participating in MIOSM, sophomores Amy Mao and Giovanna Ferrante are excited to represent the class. Amy will be performing the piano at the showcase. She relays her favorite memories of her experience in Orchestra being in the viola section.

“We’re the most talkative section and most of the time we just joke around,” Amy said.

Orchestra’s most recent concert was two days ago, March 15, serving as preparation for becoming State Qualifiers April 29.

What are your 2023 predictions?

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. What is your strategy to catching a leprechaun?

“One Direction will get back together.”

“I would maybe set a trap with money.”

Valeria Ceja, freshman

“Arsenal will win the premier league.”

“I would use a trap door under a pot of gold.”

Ashley Kim, freshman

“I would catch a leprechaun by becoming a leprechaun.”

“Elon Musk gets sued for Tesla auto crashes.”

Harry Kent, sophomore

“Why would I want to catch myself?”

“Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott will re-marry.”

“Chicago Cubs make the playoffs.”

“I’d swing him around by his beard and throw him in a little cage.”

Kara Vitale, junior

“I would lure them in with more of their kind.”

“TikTok will become banned on school campuses.”

Alexis Perez, senior

"I would invite Senora Dettlo to join me on the quest. When the little Leprechaun takes the bait - I’d scream to Sra. Dettlo, “Get him!” - because I am scared of leprechauns.”

"Mr. Nolan is going to reveal he is Canadian.”

Mr. Thomas Barnes, english teacher

“First, I’d go to Ireland. I’d get a pot of gold and Lucky Charms and place it at the end of the rainbow and wait with a net.”

“Barbie will be the best movie of the year.”

Peyton Reynolds, junior

“I would trap my brother in his room and then I would have one.”

“Pete Davidson dates Taylor Swift.”

Michael Casner,

“I have a track meet that day, so I’ll ask one of the fast girls to catch it for me.”

“I think the Chicago Bears first round pick will be a bust.”

Karrisa Cano, freshman

Jovi Savaglio, freshman

Greg Potchen, sophomore

Clover Sarkady, junior

Eileen Harkenrider, senior

Mrs. Amanatidis, computer science teacher

Josh Decker, junior

Sonny Hoekstra, senior

Senora Bellahcen, Spanish teacher

Kwaku Awuah, sophomore

 PERFORMING PERFECTION Waiting for practice to start, Wesley Harle, freshman, talks to others in “The SpongeBob Musical.” (photo by josephine zangrilli)

 BEAUTIFUL BOWING While in orchestra, Amy Mao, sophomore, focuses closely on playing the viola. (photo by gia cvitkovich)

A look into what the performing arts are doing for Music in Our Schools, Showcase March 20.

 ROARING RENDITION Playnig a wide array of instruments, MHS’ band class practice under band director Mr. Ian Marcusiu’s instruction. They work for their upcoming concert. (photo by connor mcdonald)

emily dywan & josephine zangrilli

page editor & photographer

 VERDANT VOCALS Performing, juniors Adeline West and Shana Shah sing for choir. Shana was one of the choir members who was chosen to perform in the showcase. (photo by connor mcdonald)