#1StudentNWI: Behind the Doors of Hammond High

#1StudentNWI: Behind the Doors of Hammond High

Hammond High with the Wildcat Spirit

Hammond High School Homecoming started with a fun week of hand picked spirit days. The days were Pajama Day, Multiplicity Day, Gender Bender, Character Day, and finally, Hammond High's traditional School Spirit Day.

1Student-Hammond-October-2017-06Every student in the building was filled with excitement and enthusiasm during the week. Not only did the students participate in the spirit days, but many students from all four class levels created decorations for the Homecoming Theme competition and judging. Hammond High has a tradition of Homecoming Theme competitions where student council picks a theme for the hallways and each class creates the best representation their chosen theme. This year, the theme was board games, and each class had to decorate their hallway accordingly.

1Student-Hammond-October-2017-03The freshman class chose Hungry Hungry Hippos; Sophomores had Sorry; Juniors had Operation; and Seniors had Candyland. Each class had one day to set up their decorations, then, the school staff rated the decorations and tallied up points. This year’s winner was the Senior Class, which was announced at the Homecoming Pep Rally. During the Pep Rally, there were class competitions, a student and teacher dance competition, fall sports recognitions, presentation of the Homecoming Court candidates, and an amazing DJ.

Hammond High had a fun filled week with a lot of Wildcat spirit. They very successful and demonstrated their motto: Wildcats Matter.

Early Action

Hammond High has improved in many ways, from the arts and sports to clubs and academics. Dr.Goodlow, the administrative staff, and the teaching staff look out for the best interests of all students.

Hammond High seniors and those that participate in Blueprint are being given the opportunity to take SAT's on October 7th. This not only allows Hammond High students to take the SAT early, which allows time for a second test, but the fee is also being waived.

Every decision at Hammond High is being made for the betterment of each and every student. There are a various amount of opportunities being given at school including taking the ACT. Many students would need to look for these dates on their own, however Hammond has provided this information to make it easy for students to find.

Hammond has much more in store for the future but at this moment it's focus is on getting seniors ready for college in the best way possible.

The neverending work of Mr. Foor

1Student-Hammond-October-2017-01Choosing a teacher wasn’t the hard part about writing this segment. It was choosing which one of his achievements to write about.

Mr.Foor is a teacher that goes unrecognized in various ways. He has been a loyal Wildcat for 16 years, working as an AP History teacher. During those years he has watched many different students walk in and out of Hammond High. The thing he noticed was missing from the school was a program that helped the best students prepare for college. He was tired of seeing promising students not going to the best schools and wanted to make a change to encourage them.

Mr. Foor took his ideas to Joshua Long and together they started Blueprint, which is a program that provides college access to students and helps them learn more about college. He started Blueprint at Hammond High School with 11 students and has been running it for three years now. Blueprint has expanded to multiple schools such as Gavit, Morton, and Clark.

Foor is a motivated man who continuously looks out for opportunities to better all students.

He once said "It's not about getting into to college it's about succeeding".

All he wants for his students is to love the college of their choice and be successful. Foor is an amazing teacher, advisor, and public figure in many people's lives.

The Athlete chasing his goals, Dalemonta Bennett-James

Hammond High is filled with many outstanding athletes, but there is one who seems to stand out more than the others. Dalemonta Bennett-James is a senior at Hammond High school who leaves his mark every place he goes.

He is the typical hardworking player who wants to make it and has built a name for himself. Varsity Basketball is his main and most dedicated sport. He is an overachieving student, citizen, and athlete. He maintains a GPA of 3.4 and a class rank of 24 out of 179 while doing much more.

He started playing Varsity Football his Junior year as a safety and receiver. Every time he stepped onto the field, he gave his very all and would play any position he was needed. Unfortunately, his football career came to an end when he suffered a serious concussion against the Andrean Football team.

An injury hasn’t stopped him from achieving, though, as he is now getting into shape for his last year playing basketball at Hammond High school. In previous years he averaged 6 pts, 2.5 steals, and 4 rebounds per game.

Bennett-James is also involved in National Honor Society as the secretary and was part of the Natural Helpers Retreat during his junior year. He has involved himself in volunteer programs at the local Boys and Girls Club and upheld his grades in his AP classes. He is becoming a remarkable young man and has a bright future ahead.