WHAT’S HAPPENING? — Fifty-Niners Shine at Hoosier State Relays
Andrean High School is well-known within the Region for having highly competitive athletic programs. In the past four years alone, the school has brought home state titles in three separate sports. This year, all eyes are on the track and field team after the Fifty-Niners brought home five medals from the Hoosier State Relays.
The Niners traveled to IU Bloomington on March 24 for the indoor season’s state competition. The 15-person team medaled in five events: the boys 60-meter dash, the boys 4x2 and 4x4 relay teams, the girls 60-meter hurdles, and the boys 60-meter hurdles (in which junior Cameron Williams placed first).
However, medals at the indoor state meet do not necessarily lead to success during the outdoor track and field season, which is significantly more competitive.
“Once you get outdoors there are no classes; only the best make it to state,” said head coach Derrell Tinner. “There is still a lot of work to be done to make it to outdoor state which is a whole different ball game in itself.”
The team’s recent victories will be confidence boosters for the upcoming season.
“Indoor season says we are right on schedule [to qualify for outdoor state],” said sprinter Joshua Grady (12).
Grady attributes the team’s successes to the rigorous training regimen set by this year’s coaching staff. “The strategy is basically run us until we either quit or get with the program—no slack,” he said.
This year is Tinner’s first as head coach. With any luck, the program will continue to improve under his guidance in future seasons. Tinner hopes that even more students will give track and field a shot next year after seeing the team’s success this season.
Many of the team members are seasoned runners, so the recent victories should come as no surprise. This season will reflect the many years of training and conditioning which have led to this point. Additionally, the team has several strong members who tried out for the first time this year. If all goes well, these new runners will continue to be assets to the program in the years to come.
WHAT’S COMING UP? — Baseball is Back to Bat
The Fifty-Niners will be moving down to IHSAA Class 3A this year after spending two seasons in the Class 4A bracket. The team moved up a class after winning the Class 3A State Championship in 2014 and 2015 but will be returning to its former bracket after the school dropped down to Class 2A.
“Without a question moving down to 3A is easier than competing at 4A,” said head coach Dave Pishkur. “There are a handful of quality 3A schools while there are a a lot more talented 4A schools.”
However, even with the new bracket, Pishkur knows that the team will need to put in many hours of hard work to turn their promising talent into a state title.
“There is nothing easy about winning a state title at any level,” Pishkur said.
Still, this year’s team definitely has the potential for greatness. Three of the team members—Michael Doolin (11), Nick Fushi (12), and Clay Thompson (12)—are bound for Division I schools when they head off for college. For Pishkur, the talent of his team is only another reason to push them to their best.
“Nothing can substitute for hard work. You throw in some new drills and concepts but roll up your sleeves and go to work,” Pishkur said.
The team’s main goal is to win their conference while also preparing for the postseason. Pishkur makes their regular season schedule intentionally difficult so that the team constantly has opportunities for improvement. Many of the teams on the Niners’ schedule this year have been state champions themselves in recent years.
This mentality of constantly challenging the team is what Pishkur believes is the key to the team’s success. If the team can spend every game, every practice, and every pitch learning from their mistakes and looking for ways to improve, the upcoming season will be a bright one for the Niners.
TEACHER FEATURE — Mr. Marty Blane
Not many schools can boast of a teaching staff who have been in their students’ shoes before—literally. Many Fifty-Niners have chosen to return to Andrean as teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and even as principals. This alumni base within the faculty and staff is one of the fundamental parts of the community at Andrean.
History and math teacher, Mr. Marty Blane, is one of these alumni teachers. When Blane graduated in 2004, he was considering becoming either a social studies teacher or an automobile engineer or designer. However, after a semester of mechanical engineering, Blane quickly discovered that teaching was the right path for him.
Throughout his time at Andrean, Blane has taught a wide variety of history and math classes. His favorite by far has been Topics in History: 45 to Now.
“Of all the classes I've taught I feel I really witness a change, or genuine curiosity manifest in at least one student per semester,” he said. “It also forces me to consider my beliefs and understanding of the truth each time I teach it.”
Blane’s 45 to Now class covers American history and culture post-WWII and includes topics such as the Beatles, the Reagan Revolution, and the Cold War.
On top of his classes, Blane moderates both guitar club and student government, which represent his interests in music and politics respectively.
STUDENT FEATURE — Elizabeth Cooley
When high school students first start their search for a career, they are often told to find mentors in their potential job field. For Andrean senior Elizabeth Cooley, searching for mentors wasn’t hard at all. In fact, she had no reason to look beyond the classroom to explore her future career; after college, Cooley plans on becoming a high school teacher.
Throughout her life, Cooley was fortunate enough to be surrounded by many teaching role models, including her own mother. “I've had a lot of different teachers who inspired me to go into education,” she said.
Cooley’s eighth grade English and history teachers in particular helped to form her desires to become an educator. She was inspired by how they maintained their kindness and humor in the classroom while also being highly informative.
Even still, Cooley didn’t seriously consider the idea until freshman year.
“I remember my Spanish teacher, Sra. Grove, telling our class a story about how she ended up deciding to become a teacher despite some of her role models who tried to convince her that she couldn't do it,” Cooley said.
Something in Grove’s story resonated with Cooley, and from there her passion for education started to take root.
Cooley has not decided where she will attend college next year, but she plans on majoring in education wherever she goes. Recently, Cooley was also awarded the Next Generation Hoosier's Scholarship for high schoolers planning on pursuing a career in education. After being surrounded by exemplary teachers her whole life, Cooley hopes to pass on her love of education and inspire future generations of educators.