What’s Happening:
Griffith High School’s Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club is organizing their third annual Dancing With the Panthers event (DWTP), which will be held on March 24. This event will benefit Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation (N.I.C.K.). DWTP will be held in the GHS fieldhouse for the public from noon until three, and will feature a bounce house, carnival games, photo booth, face painting, raffle baskets and more. High schoolers will be able to attend that night from 6pm-10pm, and will be be able to dance to music from social studies teacher Jenna Berzy. The same attractions will be offered to high schoolers. Each team must raise $200, and can receive donations wither in person or online.
Senior Mary Lesko is helping plan the event his year, and also helped plan the one last year. Last year Lesko was in charge of public relations, and this year she is vice president.
“I enjoy planning these events because I enjoy seeing the children’s eyes filled with joy and helping other people besides myself makes me feel good,” said Lesko. “I hope we are able to raise our $7,000 goal and get more people involved this year.”
NICK is a volunteer-run organization that was founded by a pediatric cancer family from the area. They connect families with others that have also gone through similar experiences, direct them to resources to help them out, provide financial assistance and travel arrangements, and organize events for the families to enjoy. NICK supports charities such as Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and St.Baldrick’s. A booth for NICK will be set up at the event with further information about the foundation.
Teacher Spotlight:
Family and Consumer Science teacher Sara Novak has been teaching at GHS for four years, and has planned three DWTP events so far. Before teaching, Novak attended Ball State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in FACS and secondary education, and an Associate’s in musical theatre and dance. She began college as a dance major, and had only previously thought of teaching back in high school. However, Novak changed her major to teaching, and told herself she would only become a teacher if she could tell a student that she is teaching them something they will use later in life. FACS was a class she could teach, and guarantee to teach them something they will use later on.
Novak taught for one semester in Warsaw, IN, and is now full-time at Griffith. She coached the Pantherette dance team for three years, and has been an FCCLA sponsor for two years and Freshman class council sponsor for three years. Outside of school, Novak helps with community musical theatre and is an assistant choreographer for companies in the area and in Illinois.
Student Spotlight:
Freshman Ashley Shepard has been playing softball for 11 years, and plays for Illinois Fire, as well as town ball. Softball tryouts for high school girls took place on Monday, March 5, and the JV and Varsity lists were posted that night. Shepard had the honor of making the Varsity team as shortstop, even though she has only played the position for 3 years. Shepard also plays catcher and pitcher, and is a well-rounded player. She was the only freshman to make straight varsity, and was very proud of herself. Finally, her agility training and weekend practices have paid off, and she will start playing in just a few weeks. Her older sister, Kailey, played softball as well, and played with Ashley as they grew up. She taught Ashley how to play shortstop aggressively.
“I am very excited to start the season in just a few weeks,” said Shepard. “I look forward to working hard and hopefully making it to conference championships.”
Outside of school, most of Shepard’s time is dedicated to softball, but she is also on the varsity cheerleading team.
What’s Coming Up?
National Honor Society will be hosting their second trivia night event on Friday, March 23 in the GHS cafeteria. At trivia night, teams will be tested on subjects ranging from Harry Potter to sports teams. There will be snacks, pizza, and drinks available for purchase, and all proceeds will go towards NHS.
The next morning, March 24, GHS Travel Club will be hosting their first Bunny Breakfast to raise money for their trip to England in Spring of 2019. From 9am-11:30am, kids and adults can enjoy a breakfast of pancakes, bacon or sausage, eggs, and fruit, as well as an Easter bonnet parade, Easter egg hunt, raffle basket drawings, and a cake walk. Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for children aged five and under, if bought in advance. At the door, tickets will be $6 for adults and $4 for children five and under. It will take place in the GHS cafeteria.