Munster High School
8808 Columbia Ave.
Munster, Indiana 46321
http://mhsnews.net
Caught in the mustang spirit Caught in the mustang spirit
Munster moments leading up to homecoming
ONE POM AT A TIME On the sidelines, junior Skyler Serna stands in place along with the other cheerleaders. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE Walking in the hallway, junior Emme Diaz displays her attire for the USA/Olympics day. This theme happened during the second day of spirit week. (Photo by Sophia
BETTER THAN THE MOVIES During senior sunrise, senior Kiersten Sangueza was asked to homecoming by senior Carlos Wilson. (Photo by Zoe Clark)
WATER, EARTH, FIRE, AIR For random costume day, senior Sorvino Chansiri dresses as Avatar Aang from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” (Photo by Zoe Clark)
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Arms up in the air, seniors Brooklyn Kuna and Kinga Grabowski get ready to catch the football during senior powderpuff practice. For preparation of the real game, students took the opportunity to practice at Frank H. Hammond. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
RISE AND SHINE On Centennial hill, seniors Olivia Olivares, Isaiah Brundige, Pemi Ogunjimi, and Luna Gutierrez pose for senior sunrise. The event took place on Monday, Sept. 16. (Photo by Zoe Clark)
GRILLING AND CHILLING
Posing for a picture, juniors Jan Pediangco, Jenna Krieg and Keira Allegrezza highlight their barbeque dad and soccer mom outfits on the first day of spirit week for homecoming. (Photo by Sophia Rodriguez)
THE CROWD GOES WILD During the Football game against Griffith High School, Munster’s student section cheers for the team. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
POSE IT, OWN IT During halftime at the Griffith vs. Munster football game, sophomore Gwyneth Cox performs with the dance team. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
Coaching the competition
Speech and Debate kicks off the start of the season with their annual Chicken BBQ dinner
As the start of the season kicks off, Speech and Debate has been coaching incoming members to participate in upcoming meets along with welcoming them to the team through the annual Speech and Debate Chicken BBQ dinner.
As new members trickle in, the Speech and Debate team has begun coaching novices, or new participants, in their first official tournament, kicking off the start of the season on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Club sponsor Jordan Mayer and his students are anxious and excited for what’s to come.
“It’s so much fun, they all dress up in costumes. It’s Halloween themed and you get to meet people from all over the Chicagoland area. You’re going to be meeting and networking with people that love performing arts,” Mayer said.
Sparking excitement across the room, Mayer also mentioned that the Speech and Debate kids have also sold almost 900 tickets for their upcoming annual Chicken BBQ Dinner, taking place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. before the football game. The team has gone door to door, parading tickets and doorknob hangers in order to promote their clubs funding and fun.
Senior and speech president Niah Maduakolam has been working with Mayer to coordinate events for the months to come.
“There’s a travel team, which is basically the kids who went to state last year,” she said. “They are coaching the novices right now, so we’re going to be getting them
speeches, which the majority of them are premade. They’re from commencement addresses, Ted Talks, movies, books; it’s really just excerpts.”
The students in speech have various types of speeches they learn to act out throughout the season. From demonstrative speeches, to impromptu and toasts, speech and debate novices are being trained not just to compete, but to win. Being trained by experienced speech and debate coaches like English teacher Ben Boruff, new acting coach Ryan Kelleher, and Don Fortner, who was recently awarded by the state league’s Indiana Speech and Debate Association for his 45 years of coaching the team, the team has been training for success.
“During practice, the kids that write their own speeches usually draft those for the first two months of the season- writing them and getting them really put together,” Maduakolam said. “Some people have boards so they’ll be making those. Then, for the kids who already have premade speeches, it’s really just memorization. Then we add what is called tech and blocking, which is like moving around as if there’s a stage and a scene happening.”
Whether at the wall or to each other, practice makes perfect. The coordination and effort displayed by teammates is not only impressive to watch, but heartwarming to feel.
“We’re trying different practice techniques in general to improve and get more members,” Vice President Claire Han said. “Me and Niah run practices together typically. We are making activities to make it fun for people.”
CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT OF FOCUS Looking through a piece, seniors Evvy Kikkert and Luna Gutierrez hunt for parts of it to cut. This piece will be the one they take to competition this season. (Photo by Ben Schirz)
Turning ideas into impact
PRESENTATION MODE
Advocating their platform, seniors Jude Jimenez and Asha Patel present their program, “Sprout” to Leigh Ann Westland’s tutorial class. “It was a great opportunity to expand our initiative and gain outreach,” Jimenez said. (Photo by Sophia Rodriguez)
Student created website offering tips, tools & assistance financially and economically
With an interest in economics and politics, senior Asha Patel noticed not much of an exposure toward both subjects at MHS until senior year. Patel realized that if she is dealing with this kind of deficit, others are too. Along with the help of senior Jude Jimenez, created a platform called Sprout for students in sixth to twelfth grade in Northwest Indiana.
nomically, going to college or getting exposure to these ideas,” Patel said. “You know, prepare for your future, even if you are not going into finance, economics or politics, it’s just a good skill to have.”
How to find out more about Sprout:
Follow their instagram @sprout_education
Visit their website sprouteceducation.com
“Education is one of the easiest ways to move up whether it is socioeco-
The website gives students, whether they have economic or financial backgrounds or not, access to advice from professionals. These professionals can range from professors, accountants and financial advisors. To better understand the videos and interviews, there are courses to give overview and background. Soon, Patel and Jimenez connected with other schools such
as East Chicago Central and Hammond Central High School that mostly have Spanish speaking students.
“I wanted to translate the interviews into Spanish in order to equitably expand access to this education that is so vital,” Jimenez said.
For the younger generation, both Patel and Jimenez plan to present to the eighth grade at Wilbur Wright Middle School. By taking advantage of the resources given to the student body, Sprout is supported in positive ways.
“Remember to sprout your future, harvest your success,” Patel said.
Club Callouts
Today, Sept. 19
Film club at 3 p.m. in room N150
Monday, Sept. 23
Civics at 3 p.m. in the professional development room
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Art club at 3 p.m. in room S104
Fashion club at 3 p.m. in room S120
Wednesday, Sept. 25
SADD at 3 p.m. in room N179
Friday, Sept. 27
Ping pong at 3 p.m. in the professional development room
Monday, Sept. 30
Christian culture club at 3 p.m. in S128
Monday. Oct. 7 Philosophy club at 3 p.m. in N150
As of this year, Crier’s class period is fourth instead of fifth period. Due to this change, newspapers will now be passed out on Thursday’s once a month during all lunches. Be on the lookout for the upcoming issues!
FOCUSED AND DETERMINED Studying their pieces, sophomores Ellie Gelarden and Vivian Petrozza repeat their lines out loud to their peers to memorize their pieces. The speech and debate team is having their first official tournament, Oct. 26 at Homewood Flossmoor.
(Photo by Ben Schirz)
Lexi Villalobos Deadline Manager
Kylee Barnes Page Designer
Blitzing and blocking Blitzing and blocking
Football prepares for Homecoming game against East Chicago Central
Gabby Van Horne Beat Manager
Going the distance
Cross Country is set to attend New Prairie Invite Sept. 21
Josephine Zangrilli Media Manager
As junior captain Jake Foerster passes the ball to sophomore Sam Sudac at the game against Griffith on Aug. 30, the student section cheers loudly for the team. Head football coach Romison Saint-Louis reflects on the pride he holds for both his football team and their supporting student body.
“There’s a great community and there’s great support and we’re excited to build something special,” Saint-Louis said. “We understand it takes time and we’re willing to invest what it takes, but with patience at the same time.”
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final clarification felt really nice, I was excited.”
Student sections are a big part of high school football season, they show the support the players have from the student body.
“I tell players this all the time,” Saint-Louis said. “You can’t expect Friday nights to be packed and everybody coming to support you, yet you don’t go to any of the other sports and support them.”
The results are not showing yet, but they will. We ask you all to just continue to be supportive of us, and show up, and we’ll bring it.”
Romison Saint-Louis Football coach
Junior linebacker Jose Lemus says that the new coaching staff not only focuses on helping the players get better at their sport, but also on helping them be the best people they can be. Lemus says that the coaching staff displays a lot of care for their players.
This year, captains of the team are seniors Henry Adams and DJ Certa, along with Foerster.
“I wanted to take a big leadership role this year, a big step up compared to last year,” Certa said. “Getting that
On Sept. 21, Boys and Girls Cross Country will attend an invite at New Prairie. Junior and girl’s team captain Elora Bliss believes having the race on the same day as Homecoming will actually benefit her performance.
“The meet is pretty far away, around an hour and a half,” said Bliss. “That feeling of wanting to get back home quicker is definitely going to make me want to run faster.”
Putt-ing in the work
Girls’ Golf looks forward in their season with an undefeated record
Designer
Undefeated this season, with a record of 8-0, the girls’ golf team keeps working forward. The team’s most recent victory, as of Sept. 16, was at the Pat Forward invitational on Sept. 13. This is just one of a string of victories that have left the girls feeling confident.
“I am really proud of the team for winning conference and being undefeated during this season,” sophomore Hannah Ingersoll said.
With sectionals and regionals approaching, the team remains optimistic of their chances, and confident in how they have been doing.
“It’s been a good season,” junior Olivia Andriessen said. “I want to see if we can make it out of regionals this year.”
The team gets a different perspective of the student section, playing on the field and being able to see the crowd.
“When you have people to play for, it’s so nice,” Certa said. “It makes your games more fun. When you see the student section leaving at halftime it really brings your morale down.”
According to Lemus, homecoming spirit “gets everyone more excited in general… We’re gonna have good energy throughout the whole week.”
With a 0-3 record, the team is fueled up to conquer their homecoming game against East Chicago Central tomorrow.
“I know it gets tough to continue to show up when your team is struggling, I get that, and I don’t blame one second,” Saint-Louis said. “Just know that we appreciate it and it’s definitely an advantage.”
Preview of staffer Evelyn Koncalovic’s column
Running on the track in middle school was a new experience for me. I had never ran competitively before and I was convinced that I hated running. try team in high school.
Words of the unheard ...
When the announcements would start every morning we would always hear praise about the teams that won a game the night or weekend before and about the games that were happening soon. Every single day I waited to hear if the cross country team would be announced but it never happened. I saw that on the school social media pages we were never mentioned.
Emma Starkey Web
HYPED UP Having a pre-game celebration junior Jake Foerster, and senior Anthony Cowins get excited for the first home game of the season. “I get hyped up with the team before games by listening to music in the locker room and then having a talk with everyone before we walk out,”
RUN FOR IT
Running, senior Cavin McNulty participates in the Rudy Skorupa at Lake Central. McNulty was running 5K for Varsity.
(Photo by Evelyn Koncalovic)
Putting the Power in Powderpuff
Putting the Power in Powderpuff
Senior vs. junior girls go head-to-head in Powderpuff game on Sept. 18
As seniors Cece Mason, Brooke Bravo and Milania Munoz complete a successful hook and ladder play at their first Powderpuff practice on Sept 9 at the Frank H. Hammond (FHH) park, the rest of the senior team cheers them on from the sidelines. As a continued addition to this year’s spirit week, student government is continuing the recent tradition of the Powderpuff game, a flag football game between the junior and senior girls.
“The seniors will win, our team is stacked,” senior Sam Bleza said.
Seniors said they joined Powderpuff for a multitude of reasons. Some did it because everyone was doing it, while others did it because it’s their senior year and they wanted to do as many activities as possible.
“I joined Powderpuff this year because a lot of my friends were doing it and I really regretted not doing it last year after I saw how fun playing the game was,” senior Niah Maduakolam said.
Each player and coach has strong opinions on which team will win, most sticking with their own team for the predicted outcome.
Day by day
“Seniors [will win],” senior coach Max Lesinski said. “We’re going for the win two years in a row. We’ve got an extremely talented team and a phenomenal coaching staff.”
Senior football players got the opportunity to coach the teams. Henry Adams and Logan Efantis coached the junior team while DJ Certa and Lesinski coached the senior team.
They met with their players at FHH park on separate days to practice plays and defending, along with basic skills like passing and catching.
“I definitely liked coaching for Powderpuff,” Lesinski said.
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This year, as a new feature, the certain members of the foot ball team partnered with the dance team to create a halftime show for the spectators to watch.
“I’m excited to see the student section, as well as the boys danc ing,” junior Abby Meyers said.
I’m not nervous because I know I’ll have fun with my friends, but the hardest part is remembering all the rules,”
Abby Meyers Junior
“It’s a lot of fun trying to coach 30 high school girls how to play football.”
The senior team’s strength is offense, according to Lesinski they always get the ball to someone who is open. On the other hand, their weakness is defending the other team.
“I’m not nervous about the game or anything because I think the juniors are gonna do great and win,” junior Kenley Lyles said. “Either way it’s gonna be fun overall so I don’t think there’s anything to be nervous about.”
Meyers, along with oth er junior team members, said that previous Powderpuff team members expressed their ex citement about the game and explained how fun it was. It wasn’t only fun to hear about but also exciting to watch, which ultimately swayed Mey ers to join the team this year.
“I went to the game last year when I was a sophomore and it just seemed like the girls playing were having a ton of fun, so I wanted to give it a try this year,” Lyles said.
“I went to the game last year when I was a sophomore and it just seemed like the girls playing were having a ton of fun, so I wanted to give it a try this year,” Lyles said.
GAME PLAN On the field, junior Grace Schirz gives the football to senior and
Gabby Van Horne Beat Manager
EYE ON THE BALL Running, seniors Brooke Bravo and Esther Graham follow to catch the football. The senior team had their first practice on Sept. 9. “I think our team is gonna win because we have amazing team energy and we’re already bonded really well,” Bravo said. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
MEDALS ON MEDALS Standing in the parking lot before school, juniors Laila Collard and Nadia Ornelas watch others take photos. (Photo by Emma Starkey)
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE talking to each other, seniors Carlos Wilson, Natalie Minyard and Adam Pelc sport their different random costumes. (Photo by Emma Starkey)
WHATS COOKING Smiling at the camera, juniors Elora Bliss, Nicole Katona and Emma Robbins pose their spirit day outfits. (Photo by Ben Schirz)
SMARTY PANTS Posing for a photo, seniors Giovanna Ferrante and Amy Mao show off their geeky attire. (Photo by Sophia Rodriguez)
READY TO THROW aiming the football, senior Lia Sotiropoulos, prepares to toss to a team mate. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
Shake things up
Student government’s plans and changes for homecoming
Emily Dywan Editor-in-Chief
In spirit of the homecoming season, student government applies new protocol and event changes. Seniors Annie Fuller, student government president, and Luna Gutierrez, student government vice-president, voice their hopes to push spirit to the student body.
“We have a lot of new changes that the student body can get hyped for,” Fuller said. “We’ve been working a lot with our PR team to push out new content like spirit days and the dance theme. We really want to improve our social media outreach.”
• For spirit week, student government welcomes new theme USA/Olympics in spirit of this year’s event in France.
• Student government introduces the Munster Hype Crew,
a student-based foundation that aims to increase student engagement at sports games. Those interested may expect an email in the following weeks to join the crew.
• Student government has organized a Spotify playlist to submit to the DJ in aims to have more student-centralized tastes. Suggestions are subject to change during the dance.
• The Powderpuff tradition receives a momentous upgrade, including medals for participants and coordinated t-shirts to fuel the grade’s spirit.
• As part of the homecoming’s “Tangled in the Lights” theme, student government has organized Tangled-themed decorations to decorate the gym with paper lanterns and foliage.
A new dawn
Student government introduces senior sunrise
Emily Dywan Editor-in-Chief
On Monday, 5:45 a.m., a wave of the senior class stands atop the Centennial hill swaddled in blankets and pajamas, awaiting the dawn of the sunrise to stretch over the horizon. Senior and student government member Mia Bozic, among many of the other awaiting students, felt a harmony of connection between all seniors alike.
“A favorite memory of mine was definitely seeing the three homecoming proposals all within an hour,” she said. “It was not only funny, but super thoughtful. I was so happy for them.”
Taking inspiration from other neighboring schools such as Lake Central High School, student government had brought
Face the music Student government shares their DJ playlist
THE CLASSICS. Expect many of your classic homecoming traditions including songs such as Cupid’s “Cupid Shuffle”, Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie”, or Mr. C’s “Cha Cha Slide.”
RAP AND HIP-HOP. Rap and hip-hop clears the
Queen’s backtalk
Maddy Clousing
This genre includes rewinds such as Justin
What three songs would you want to see on the homecoming playlist?
“‘Get Me Bodied’ by Beyonce, ‘Hey Ya!’ by OutKast, and ‘Big Pimpin’ by Jay-Z.”
If you could choose a theme for Homecoming, what would it be?
“Rock and roll like the movie “Almost Famous,” it would be fun and the girls could wear big furry jackets and dress like hippies.”
the idea to the bay of MHS as a new tradi tion for seniors.
“We thought the tim ing is perfect if we’re able to start the year with a sunrise and end the year with a sunset,” student body president Annie Fuller said.
For the first year with hopefully many to follow, the turnout of MHS’ Senior Sunrise was a major success. Bozic reflects on the event’s impact, fostering unity among the senior class.
“It brought together so many people that typically wouldn’t be seen together,” she said. “It really allowed seniors to enjoy their last year of high school and make new memories.”
What song would you choose for your football field entrance and why?
“‘All The Stars (With SZA)’ by Kendrick Lamar, It’s the perfect song for the nighttime setting.”
What would you do if you were queen of the world for a day?
“If I was queen for the day I would force all of the fast food chains to let me have free food for the rest of eternity.”
What’s your favorite spirit day and why?
“My favorite spirit day is random costume day because it’s like a second Halloween!”
What was your reaction when you found out you’d be on Homecoming Court?
“I was literally jumping up and down. I was so excited and so happy.”
SMILE BRIGHT Posing for a photo, seniors Grace Peters, Savannah Neutzel and Jiselle Ruiz hold up a sign. Neutzel made the sign for fun photo options for seniors at senior sunrise “I am not creative, but I thought if I would use it then other people would too,” Neutzel said. (Photo by Zoe Clark)
floor with many fan favorite hits such as Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock”, Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s “FE!N”, or Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
THE 2000’s.
SELFIE TIME Posing in front of the sunrise, seniors Claire Han and Isabella Shin take a selfie together. The sun rose over the horizon at 6:33 a.m.
IF THE RING FITS Getting their photo taken, seniors Suvali Giridaran and Langston Jasper pose together. Jasper asked Giridaran to homecoming during the senior sunrise, where she then accepted.
(Photos by Zoe Clark)
Dare to dance? Reviewing high school movie dance scenes
Kylee Barnes Page Editor
Greasy hair, but she does care
Sandy Olsson, a student from Australia, attends high school in America after having a summer fling with a greaser, Danny Zuko. Sandy becomes friends with some preppy peers who re-introduce her to her summer lover, who is seemingly uninterested. The two spend time attempting to conform to their school personas, but ultimately can’t fight their attraction toward each other.
Atmosphere: 4/5
While featured in a national dance contest hosted at their own prom, Sandra and Danny pair up and absolutely rock the dance floor to “Hound Dog” and “Born to Hand Jive” by Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. The couple is flaw-
Loosening the law
After losing his single mother, Ren McCormack picks up his life and moves to Bomont, Georgia, with his uncle for his senior year of high school. Ironically, McCormack enters the film as an outsider, parading a strong Boston accent among the country folk’s redneck holler and enraging conservative residents with his loud city music. After stirring up a fair amount of trouble, Ren meets his match
lessly engaged, until Cha-Cha, Danny’s ex lover, interrupts their perfect picture and schemingly steals Danny from the floor. It’s obvious that Danny and ChaCha are intimately close in their final dance scene, which drives Sandy out of the dance in tears, leaving both Sandy, and I, heartbroken.
The Dance: 5/5
The film, also directed on Broadway, is a musically composed masterpiece, perfectly capturing the spirit and energy of teenage adolescence through late 70s raunchy rock and roll style dancing. The explicitness not only reflects the teen era, but exposes the raw emotion behind it, leaving a desperate craving for more.
in the town Reverend’s daughter; Ariel Moore, who is coping with her brother’s fatal car accident and its consequences.
Atmosphere: 5/5
Hosted in a jazzed up industrial building on the outskirts of town, the prom itself is a truce between the “rebellious, and frisky,” teenagers, and their overbearing parents. The dance really steps into place once Ren and Ariel’s scummy ex-boyfriend
brawl it out, leaving the couple free to enjoy the groove for the rest of the night
The Dance: 5/5
Kicked off to the beat of “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, the energy of their disco, rumba, and rock combination had the building buzzing the whole night, concluding with a carefully choreographed dance from Ren and his new country BFF, Willard.
Campaigning a date
After becoming friends with Pedro, a Spanish-speaking transfer student, awkwardly framed Napoleon Dynamite, and his new best friend set out on a mission to secure the seat of class president. During the movie, Pedro secures a date and urges Napoleon to do the same. After one failed attempt with the wrong woman, Napoleon invites Deb, who gladly agrees to attend the prom with him.
Atmosphere: 3/5
With a classic hit, Alphaville’s “Forever Young” playing in the background, Napoleon and Deb’s dance scene couldn’t get any more stereotypically awkward. With dim fairy lights and quirky 80’s decorations surrounding them like a snow globe, the dancing couldn’t matter in the slightest. The two are nothing special, but that’s exactly what makes them so special. They per-
Bribes for my beloved
In this iconic high school rom-com, Kat Stratford, a modern woman who doubles as man-repellent, refuses to attend her senior prom, which prevents her younger sister, Bianca from attending as well. In an attempt to convince Kat to attend the dance, Bianca’s original date, Joey, bribes walking ashtray, Patrick Verona, to get Kat to attend as his date. After an absolutely devastating poetry scene that will leave that burning feeling in your chest,
the two surprisingly fall for each other.
Atmosphere: 3/5
After convincing a reluctant Kat to attend, Patrick calls in a favor to one of her favorite artists, Hanley and Eisenstien, who covered Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to be Kind.” Joey exposes Patrick’s role in his elaborate scheme to get Bianca to the prom and into the sheets, leaving both Kat and I feeling hurt and betrayed. Bianca makes quick work of the scene with a carefully coordi-
fectly encapsulate the absurdity of high school romance. The Dance: 2/5
Watching the two sway side to side along with the soft, heartfelt tune is a reminder of the present, feeling as if nothing but this moment matters. The scene is nothing extravagant, but it captures the emotion within the characters as they gaze into each other’s eyes.
nated clock of the fist to Joey’s nose. Leaving a sliver of satisfaction witnessing Joey’s pain after the pain he caused to everyone else.
The Dance: 5/5
Kicked off to the beat of “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, the energy of their disco, rumba, and rock combination had the building buzzing the whole night, concluding with a carefully choreographed dance from Ren and his new country BFF, Willard.
Illustrations by Damien Salahieh
Staff opinion
Ninety or nothing
While this year’s presentation of the rules of the school came with significantly less booing than the year before, one change left the auditorium in an uproar: the new attendance policy for school dances.
our take
The new attendance policy raises the stipulation that students with below a 90% attendance rate, whether excused or unexcused, will be unable to attend any of the high school dances. Namely, if a student is to miss three days of school before September 21, they are barred from attending their Homecoming dance.
The new attendance policies are too strict of a punishment for absences that are out of students’ control.
Indiana states, emphasizing that school funding will be determined by the school’s attendance rates. It is a valid concern, considering how funding is needed to improve the school and pay its teachers. But there is a line where the cost to the students becomes too much, and this new rule is toeing it.
Students fall unwell. Students have family emergencies. And, of course, between the strain of schoolwork and the value of mental health, students want to take days off for their own well-being.
How is a policy that prioritizes funding over a student’s well-being worth the sacrifice of sacramental traditions to their high school experience? The question poses if the prioritization of students in the classroom is more important than the condition of its students.
Administration has grappled the reins due to new policies across
Going Timeless
What do you think of when you hear the word party? Food and drinks, music, socializing, dancing? These are all correct answers, but I would say one of these has been lost over the years: party music.
Songs make or break the atmosphere at parties, especially at school dances. So, at events like homecoming and prom, the songs they play are highly anticipated. There’s always the classics that have a dance attached, and the ones that make you excited to jump up and down to, or lyrics that you can’t help but sing to.
Gabby Van Horne
If the media shows us couples going together in dances, and whether we may say so or not, school culture tells us that we should have a date,
As we near Homecoming season, the main dilemma comes to light.
how are we supposed to feel when we don’t? Realistically, going to a school dance without a date does not matter. At all. Going in a group of friends can even end up being more fun- less pressure, less money, and less stress trying to find a date. Even though this is true, students, including myself, still feel pressure to find a date in order to go to a dance.
All throughout my childhood, I watched TV shows and movies that ended with the couple together, going to the dance and having gotten there with some sort of elaborate proposal, whether that’s singing a song in front of the whole soccer team or asking with a sign. The goal of the whole
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As it stands, punishing students for things out of their control only presents the school as a place that is not safe for students and their needs. And during a season meant to display school spirit and pride, that rift is only more evident. It is understandable that the school wants to use incentives to keep attendance up. But punishing students in this regard is not the way to do it.
movie was to get the two people together and at the dance, and it happened, along with everyone else in the movie magically finding a date.
Social media shows dance proposals with cute signs at sports games or during school, but there generally isn’t anything on people who go without dates. It pushes the idea that having a date is necessary to have fun into our minds and disregards those who choose to do otherwise. Personally I would never judge someone for going alone or in a group of friends, and I know most of my peers wouldn’t either, but, even though this is true we still feel the pressure to find a date for the night.
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The only problem I have is that there are no new songs to be played at events like these. They just don’t have the same pull as songs like Party Rock Anthem or Party In The U.S.A, or entirely miss the genre.
But why is this? It might be the nostalgia aspect where I want back what we’ve had before, but also I think it’s the art of the work being lost. They have the inspiration from many years before and even better equipment to use, but the same vibe hasn’t been able to be recreated. It’s not even that the songs being made are bad— I personally prefer newer songs over the ones I’ve mentioned— artists just don’t make staples that we are able to dance to anymore.
Reflect back at the songs they played at homecoming and prom in previous years: “Timber,” “Cupid Shuffle,” “Teach me how to Dougie.” You will notice how the songs we are dancing to are all from 2014 and earlier, simply because there aren’t new options. Though there are songs they play from recent years, it’s songs that are popular at the time but have no real purpose but to sing.
With the countdown to the homecoming dance nearing the end, I encourage you to look into the songs that are played, and challenge you to find songs made recently with the same feeling as classics. Times like these are important to bring new artists to light, and bring back the age of party music.
Editor-in-Chief Emily Dywan
Deadline Manager Lexi Villalobos
Head Photographer Zoe Clark
Cartoonist and Design Chief Damien Salahieh
Story Editor Emma Starkey
Photography Trainer John Kullerstrand
Page Editor Kylee Barnes
Photographers Evelyn Koncalovic, Sophia Rodriguez, Ben Schirz
Social Media Manager Josephine Zangrilli Beat Manager Gabby Van Horne
Adviser Ms. Alexandra Sulewski
Illustration by Damien Salahieh
Beat Manager
Zoe Clark Head Photographer
Hold your horses
Hold your horses
Reflecting on the history and renewal of Mighty the Mustang
Emily Dywan Editor-in-Chief
When senior Grace Peters exited the football locker rooms, raring to perform for the dance team’s 2024 senior night dance with the honors of wearing the Mighty uniform, she hadn’t expected how the school would react. The dance team had prepared their half-time routine in secret, sneaking the team up to the wrestling room— but as Peters reins her fifteen minutes of fame, she understood the spirit that comes with the uniform.
“When I came out, there were a bunch of little kids by the concession stand that got so excited when they saw Mighty,” Peters said. “I got to hype everyone waiting along the fence by the dance team as well. It was a surprising amount of positive feedback.”
Since the mascot’s resurgence during the 2023-2024 school year, Mighty the Mustang has regained traction as the student body’s hype man. After witnessing a lull in mascot spirit, wrestling coach Zachary Slosser and athletics assistant Olimpia Tienstra re-
introduced mascot show out at spirit events from pep rallies to stampedes. Slosser recognizes Mighty’s ability to fuel generations of all ages to spirit our school.
“Kids and even sometimes parents come up to us and ask if they could take a picture with Mighty,” Slosser said. “That mascot represents everyone here at the high school. If we’re able to get the youth to show out to games to see Mighty, then we’re doing it right.”
Mighty’s spirit is completed by the efforts of multiple students rather than one individual. Traditionally represented by a team of athletes, Assistant athletic director Beth Raspopovich hopes to expand the Munster spirit to a wider demographic of students.
“Something we wanted to do, and the reason why I pushed it out to the entire student body this year, was that we know kids from other clubs can rep the Mighty spirit just as well as our athletes,” Raspopovich said. “Someone that’s in speech and debate or someone that’s an actor in theater would be just as great at it too. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you have the right spirit.”
In spirit of homecoming, what would you change the mascot to and why?
“We shoudn’t change the mascot because it maintains tradition.”
“A lion becaue they’re loud and it reminds me of the student section.”
“Unicorns because it’d be a better color scheme and original.”
The mascot had been under a lull until Flynn LeMonnier, class of 2014, had picked back up the uniform. LeMonnier had taken up the position of the mascot in honor of his late father, who had similarly taken the role as Benny the Bull for the Chicago Bulls from 1985 to 2014. “I’d try to come up with silly routines to get a rile out of people. I had a mini bicycle, I built a T-shirt slingshot, and I pretended to wax a bald teacher’s head,” he said. (Submitted by Flynn LeMonnier)
“A minotaur because it’s menacing.”
“Munster Marauders. It goes with the M in Munster and we could rip stuff up. We might be good at that.”
Joshua Herold, History teacher
“A penguin so we can freeze the competition while we take first in swimmimg.”
“Monkeys, because monkey’s are smart and our school is smart”
“Munster Monsters because it rhymes and you guys are a bunch of monsters.”
Elizabeth Irvin, Freshman Ethan Grinstead, Freshman
Amalia Alvarez, Sophomore
Marija Pavlic, Junior
Nico Sanchez, Senior
Juliana Munda, Junior
Mateo Shafer, Senior
Brook Urbaniak, Sophomore
Michael Bakker, Science teacher
Face paint and a cape was all sophomore Donny Williams needed to encapsulate the school spirit of a mascot. In 1968, nearly thirty years before Munster would get their iconic Mighty uniform, Donny Williams took up the honors of Capt. Mustang. (1986 Paragon)
“A mongoose because it goes with Munster.”
“A cardinal bird because they’re popular here in Indiana.”
Student Government had raised enough funds and donated money to bring the first ever mascot uniform, Mighty the Mustang, to the Munster scene. In the next year to follow, a selection of athletes such as Eric Yttri, class of 2000, was first to wear the suit. “I liked being involved instead of just being a spectator,” Yttri said. (1999 Paragon)