WDSO’s 40th Anniversary Celebration
The Chesterton High School radio station, WDSO-FM 88.3, hosted its 40th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 8, 2016 in the Chesterton High School Cafeteria. Alumni, current members and special guests attended the event.
Some of the special guests who attended the event were former WDSO Station Managers, Jim Cavallo and Brent Barber; CHS Assistant Principals, Judy Malasto and Robert Blumenthal; Betty Canright; Kevin Leonard; Troy O’Brian; Ethan Mikusevic and Chicago DJ, John Records Landecker.
WDSO members helping during the afternoon were Sami Bunning, Chris Ellis, Simon Williger and Andrew Stolz.
After enjoying refreshments, there was a program around 3 pm. WDSO Assistant Program Director, Miles Jablonski (11) welcomed everyone to the event. Michele Stipanovich, WDSO Operations Manager introduced the guests and presented awards to businesses who have contributed to WDSO for 30 or more years.
Matthew Waters, WDSO Station Manager told the history and future of WDSO.
Waters then awarded WDSO Operations Manager, with an Appreciation Award for her 35 years of service to the station. The program continued with Stipanovich telling about the programming through the years.
Next special guest, John Records Landecker, well-known Chicago DJ, spoke about the changes in the radio industry over the years. That was followed by WDSO alumni sharing their memories. Tours of the station took place following the program.
Appreciation Awards were presented to the Chesterton Tribune, Porter Bank, Anton Insurance Agency and the John W. Anderson Foundation for continuous financial support to WDSO since 1976. Betty Canright accepted the award for the Chesterton Tribune and Ethan Mikusevic accepted one for the Porter Bank. Mikusevic is a CHS graduate and WDSO alumni.
Other businesses that have contributed to WDSO over the years and also received Appreciation Awards were Harris, Welsh & Lukmann, Attorneys-at-Law, 38 years; Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home for 35 years; Kramer & Leonard Office Products, 34 years; Greg Babcock, Attorney-at-Law, 33 years. Kevin Leonard accepted the award for Kramer & Leonard Office Products and Troy O’Brian accepted the award for Edmonds & Evans Funeral Homes.
WDSO has to thank many people for the success of our event- Shady Lawn Florists provided a flower donation; Datagraphic of Chesterton for helped with all of our printing needs including the invitations and the banner where pictures of everyone attending were taken. Thanks to Susie Cook for taking pictures throughout the afternoon.
The Duneland Food Services provided the food for the event. WDSO would like to thank Paula Prickett, CHS Kitchen Manager and Cindy Vondra, Duneland School Food Services for their help and especially Maureen and Michelle for doing a great job of serving the food. Thanks to Shirley Wallace from Outside Creations that made the plaques and Strack & VanTil who made the cake. There were many people who helped in many ways and if you haven’t been mentioned, you are also very much appreciated for your help.
Finally, WDSO would like to thank all of the alumni and current members who attended. There were many great stories from the years that they spent being a part of the radio station and everyone had a great time.
WDSO is located at FM 88.3 on your radio dial or at www.duneland.k12.in.us/wdso on the internet.
Working Together
As part of their community helpers unit, Brummitt Kindergarten students in Betsy Kazmierczak’s class participated in a play-doh activity centered around a garbage truck theme. Assistant Superintendent Jim Goetz was invited to participate with the students at rotating skill-based stations. Pictured are kindergarten students, clockwise from bottom, Cate Swistek, Stone Palko, and Reece Guerra working with Goetz at one of the stations where students had to look at the number and a ten frame and make play-doh "garbage" to put in the garbage truck to match the number on the mat.
Council Makes Donation
The Westchester Intermediate School Student Council made a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) from the proceeds from the school’s third annual Glow Fun Run this past Friday evening. Pictured, left to right, are Principal Shawn Longacre, with student council members Danielle Chisko and Ian Michael presenting a $500 donation to Samir Kovacevic, LLS representative, center.
Brummitt Bash and Pumpkin Decorating Contest Winners
Brummitt Elementary School will host their annual Brummitt Bash fall school carnival this Friday, October 14, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at the school. Admission is $8 per child (adults and children 3 and under are free). Admission includes games, cake walk, costume contest (Brummitt students only) and the “Haunted Hallway.” Food, Kona Ice and Photo Booth are available at an additional charge. Parents can bid on silent auction items that will include items for all ages. In addition to bidding on items donated by Brummitt families, parents can also bid on “teacher experiences,” classroom art projects, a front row school parking spot, a 2014 American Girl Doll of the Year, four (4) Disney World (one day, park hopper) passes, various local business gift cards available and MUCH, MUCH MORE! This is not a drop off event. Any and all are welcome!
CHS Band Students Selected for Honor Band
Five members of the Chesterton High School Band program were selected to take part in the 17th Annual All-District Honor Band Festival on November 19 and 20. This event is sponsored by the Indiana Bandmasters Association (IBA) and hosted by Plymouth High School.
235 students from Northwest Indiana applied for a place in this elite ensemble, with the number of applicants being whittled down to a group of 118 talented young musicians. Student musicians from Chesterton include Trumpeter Zane Mauke (gr. 10), Tubist Andrew Figg (11), Tenor Saxophonist Mark Hodgkiss (11), Clarinetist Aaron Brookhouse (11) and Trombonist Trey Bonnema (12). All of the members of the group will participate in a series of activities including seating auditions, sectional work, and full rehearsals beginning on Saturday, November 19, and concluding on Sunday, November 20 with a Grand Finale Concert presented to the public at 4:00 p.m. The guest conductor for the group is Randy Greenwell of Lawrence Central High School. For additional information about this or any other Indiana Bandmaster event, go to indianabandmasters.org
Trojan Guard Advances to ISSMA State Finals
The Trojan Guard Marching Band competed with 16 other Northern Indiana bands in the Indiana State School Music Association’s (ISSMA) Scholastic 'A' Class State Preliminary competition this past Saturday at Homestead High School in Ft. Wayne, IN.
This event marks the first level of statewide competition for the Scholastic 'A' and Scholastic 'B' Class bands, with two additional competitions taking place simultaneously at central and southern locations around Indiana. All Indiana bands are adjudicated by a panel of six national caliber judges in the areas of Individual Music Performance, Ensemble Music Performance, Music Effect, Individual Visual Performance, Ensemble Visual Performance and Overall Visual Effect.
This year only 16 Scholastic 'A' bands from across the state have earned composite scores high enough to qualify for a Superior 'Gold' division rating and advancement to the state level of competition. These bands will compete at the ISSMA Scholastic Finals competition held at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis on Oct. 22. The champion bands from both the 'A' and 'B' classes will then perform in exhibition at the Open Class State Finals in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29. Immediately following their performances, the two groups will be recognized with an award ceremony honoring their achievements as the ISSMA 2016 Scholastic Class State Champions.
The Trojan Guard’s 2016 Production is entitled “Tangled” and contains music inspired by the themes of J.S. Bach. The production consists of a four movement musical score including Mvmt. I-Twisted Minuet, Mvmt. II-Neo-Toccata, Mvmt. III-Modern Ayre, and Mvmt. IV-Fugue Fantasia.
The 93 students in the Trojan Guard include Amera Abuhakmeh, Victoria Adams, Keyon Allen, Bianca Alvarez, Hailey Ayala, Abby Billings, Kris Bodie, Kelsey Bolton, Aaron Brookhouse, Kaitlyn Brueggert, Katie Budzius, Colin Campbell, Olivia Cappos, Andrew Cernick, Alyssa Cole, Madison Comfort, Mercedes Cooper, Adam Davis, Gavin Dooley, Tristan Dooley, Naomi Draus, Dani Else, Annabelle Engel, Laura Estridge, Garrett Fairbanks, Andrew Figg, Sailor Franklin, Toby Franklin, Emmie Fredrickson, Jessica Fuller, Izabelle Galvin-Ellis, David Gerth, Josh Guzek, Anthony Hampton, James Hawley, Ally Henry, Nathan Herr, Ryan Herr, David Hodgkiss, Mark Hodgkiss, Henry Hoham, Harleah Hufstedler, Hollie Jones, Jack Jones, David Kosakowski, Sadie Kidd, Conner Kilander, Holly Kittredge, Carlie Kocoj, Nate Kravitz, Zachary Lane, Anthony Langley, Olivia Lee, Abbey Leffert, Hannah Maluvac, Madison McCall, Shaye McCarthy, Reagan McCoy, Aidan McNicholas, Clare McNicholas, Elissa McNicholas, Jackie Moehl, Abby Morris, Kaylee Mullins, Holly Muszynski, Madison Muszynski, Violet Needham, Liam Oberlander, Mary Oberlander, Eli Ontiveros, Abby Palmer, Bryan Pamintuan, Nolan Poczekay, Regan Kistner, Dylan Rodriguez, Samantha Runions, Kylie Sabol, Sydney Sarver, Delaney Schavey, Alec Schmidt, Chris Sexton, Ashley Shideler, Brett Sivadon, Savannah Sivadon, Ayssa Thompson, Hunter Torres, Alissa VanNoort, Shayne Wassell, Jacob Weitzel, Brooke Wilson, Harley Wines and Jacob Winland. The Drum Major for the Trojan Guard is Trey Bonnema.
The Trojan Guard is under the direction of Michael Scheiber with assistance by Vincent Arizzi. Additional staff includes Lisa Scheiber, color guard director; Kylene Mitchell, color guard assistant; Matt Christensen, marching tech and Jeff Wroblewski, drill design. For additional information regarding the Trojan Guard, or any band activity, please contact the CHS Music Department at 983-3730. The next competition for the Trojan Guard will be Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Indiana State School Music Associations Scholastic State Championship hosted by Lawrence Central High School. The next local performance by the band will be at the CHS football pre-game and half-time festivities this Friday, October 14 against Merrillville High School.
In addition to the parent support of their current membership, the CHS Music Department and the CHS Band Boosters are currently looking for alumni and parents of alumni to assist with hosting the ISSMA Regional at CHS on Saturday, Oct. 15. A total of 24 bands from Class “B” and class “D” are scheduled to compete throughout the day, and a great deal of help is needed to make this event a success. “This is a wonderful time for alumni to get involved again and to remember the days when this organization helped to shape their lives,” said Michael Scheiber, the group’s director. “If they can pour soft drinks, park a car, make change, put a hotdog on a bun, or guide a band, their help in supporting the members of today’s Trojan Guard is needed, and it will be greatly appreciated.”
Those interested in assisting with the Regional are strongly urged to contact the CHS Band Booster Events Chair Alison Williams at 219-309-3038 as soon as possible. Volunteers may also contact the CHS Music Dept. at 983-3730 ext. 7172.