Opening a new chapter

The Media Center has been fully renovated with new features, including the bookshelves and rooms for teachers and students to use. A new website for the Media Center can now be accessed by students and staff, too.

“I think the new Media Center is wonderful. It’s well received,” Ms. Hladek said.

New bookshelves have been in the Media Center, allowing the books to be put back and checked out. However, some bookshelves during transit were damaged. The cause of this damage was due to a small hole in the shipping container, letting water in. VS furniture company had the damaged items replaced.

The printing station has no printers or solution currently. The printers were not in the plan for the new design. For every decision, cost and benefits play a big role, meaning figuring out the printers would weigh those. Some students have a difficult time not being able to print what they need.

“It sucks. I do not have a printer at my moms house so sometimes I’m left without a place to print. I have one at my dad’s house but I do not always have the time to go out of my way to get there to print, especially with extracurriculars and homework and stuff,” Jordan Fefferman, sophomore said.

Students are welcome to enter the Media Center for studying, as long as they have received a pass from Ms. Ellen Naumoff, study hall teacher. In addition, if a student is in their lunch hour and needs a more quiet atmosphere, they can get a pass from the Media Center. Students interested in staying during lunch all semester can get a laminated pass from Mrs. Hellen Fuller, dean.

Teachers can now reserve a room for

 WORKING HARD Now on new modern shelves, books of many different genres are in. Students are able to stop by and check them out. “There are more bookshelves on their way to put more of our books up,” Ms. Hladek said. (photo by lexi villalobos)

An update on the Media Center’s renovation, resources now accessible class or extracurricular activities for a change of scenery. There are a total of six rooms that can be used and are encouraged to do so. Mr. Jordan Mayer, English teacher, has used one of the study rooms for Speech and Debate.

“I think it is a practical room and we are able to manage our practices more efficiently since there are more outlets and rooms for students to use. I highly recommend teachers utilize the learning spaces in the Media Center,” Mr. Mayer said.

Details about the rooms can be found on the Media Center’s website. To reserve any of these areas that spark interest, email or call Mr. Ray Palasz or Ms. Hladek.

To access the Media Center’s website, it is linked on Munster High School and Crier’s website. The website includes more information about the Media Center, books and for teachers there is a request form.

MHS likely to switch to block scheduling next year, Mr. Nolan says

MHS will likely switch to some form of hybrid or block scheduling next year, according to Principal Morgan Nolan. The goal of block scheduling had been one of Mr. Nolan’s endeavors since he began July 1, but it was put on hold as there was little time to make schedule adjustments. Most other school districts in the area follow a hybrid schedule, and Mr. Nolan says that following spring break, the administration will have a concrete idea of what the schedule will look like.

Crier will cover this more in the next issue. Please give your feedback on this survey.

“There’s a benefit for having some extended chunks of time in classes,” Mr. Nolan

“Whether it’s labs, or more production access to work. The 48 minutes can be rushed. So giving students some opportunities, especially from a science and a humanities standpoint, where you can have some of these deeper conversations, spend some more time learning.”

reena alsakaji

ISSMA district solo and ensemble tomorrow

held at Northview Middle School in Indianapolis Feb. 25.

 RISING OPPORTUNITIES Standing with her student, Mrs. Koula Amanatidis-Radoicic, computer science teacher, and Leia Maduakolam, junior, who is a participant of the program, are preparing to take a photo. Leia won a gift card for her participation in the program. (photo by ethan pischner)

MHS offers its second year of the Sisters Rise Up, a free online mentorship for female students of color taking an AP Computer Science course. In this program, undergraduate students from University of Michigan direct Zoom calls to offer students help on their course material.

Leia Maduakolam, junior, participated in this program last year.

“I was informed of many other computer-science related opportunities by being in the program,” Leia said. “Over the summer, I was able to participate in a Python research study for the University of Toronto because of my engagement in Sisters Rise Up. I really enjoyed this program, the students were always supportive and the directors provided a lot of resources. I definitely recommend this program to other AP CS students.”

Theatre comes in second place at State

 ROARING REHEARSAL Conducting his first period band class, Munster High School’s band director, Mr. Ian Marcusiu, works to make sure his students are prepared for their upcoming competition at ISSMA. Since the beginning of the year, the band students have toiled tirelessly for the sake of their success in this competition (photo by connor mcdonald)

Scribbling notes onto her sheet music, Emma Kavalec, junior, gets ready to meet up with her ISSMA ensemble group. Also performing a solo tomorrow, Emma believes the hardest part has been time management. Over the past several years, the Regional level ISSMA competition has been held at MHS with time slots throughout the day for private performances. The instrumental solo and ensemble will be held tomorrow, while vocal and piano will be Feb. 4.

Students can choose to compete from group one to group five, with the former being the most challenging and rigorously judged. If a player receives gold in the group one category, they will move onto the State competition

With an increase in the number of students performing this year and over 1000 performances taking place throughout the day, dozens of volunteers and members of MHS band are needed to help organize. All classrooms throughout the school need to be set up as performance rooms and room numbers and times need to be communicated to over 40 other directors.

“Practicing for me always starts off with a tone warm up,” Emma said. “I always try to make sure I start off with my best sound so I’m able to apply it to the rest of my practice. Lastly, I work on whatever piece I need too. Whether that’s my trip piece I’m doing or my solo, I try to fit both of them into my practice time.”

 LIGHTS UP IN TEN Putting on their stage make-up, Isidora Pavlic, senior, and Marija Pavlic, freshman, prepare for MTC’s State performance of “Wit.” MTC placed second overall at State, the highest MHS has ever gotten in history. (photo by josephine mittelberger)

Performing “Wit,” Munster Theatre Company came in second place at State, scoring a 116 out of 140 points Jan. 2122. Pemi Ogunjimi, sophomore, received a superior award in theatre marketing. Clover Sarkady became a State Thespian Officer for Indiana, and she played the main role of Vivian Bearing in the play. Clover also won the Outstanding Performer Award. reena

Corrections

In Issue 5 of Crier, on page 1, the stipends decision by the state was not recent. In corrections on page 2, Mrs. Koula Amanatidis-Radoicic’s name is spelt wrong. On page 5, the photo TEACHING THE TRADITION was taken by Marianna Young. On page 6, the book photos were taken by Damien Salahieh and Zoe Clark and the Starbucks photos were taken by Anna Evilsizor. On page 7, gymnastics is not an official sport at MHS. Also, in the photo IT TAKES TWO TO TANGLE, Liam Boyle is

Valuable, or a waste of time?

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I took Culinary Arts last semester. A lot of students in that class had no real interest in cooking. Students were constantly on their phones, and not paying attention to the chef’s instructions. She expected all students to invest themselves in the class and do what was asked of them.

One day, she had enough. She decided to speak only to the students willing to listen, and told them what we were going to do that day. She let the kids who chose to be on their phones do that. The rest of us did the assignment, and at the end of the hour she told the other students that they would be receiving zeros because they hadn’t participated.

If the kids taking the class had actually wanted to be there, none of that would have happened.

If you want to graduate from MHS with a Core 40 or Technical Honors diploma, you must take five credits of language and/or fine arts. Because those classes are required, some kids take them just for the credit, not because they actually enjoy the class.

Unfortunately, an enjoyable class such as culinary arts or technical theatre can often be ruined by other students who are less enthused about the course. Because MHS requires students to take one of these classes, a decent portion of the student population do not really want to be there. Kids goof off with friends, choose not to participate in activities and distract the class from their work.

Munster should make an art credit optional. Let the students who are interested in the class take it, and students who don’t want to take it don’t have to. This way, students can take the class with other kids who want to be there, providing a more enjoyable experience for both students and teachers. In addition, Munster should offer more classes directed at the arts. We are constantly adding business classes to our curriculum, but these classes don’t offer kids the creative focus they need. Fine arts classes are just as important if not more important than academic classes, and we should offer more of them and encourage kids to be creative.