MHS Crier | Issue 1 | 9.9.22

Page 1

Teachers will be able to reserve this Collaboration Room for their classes, and the room will hold more traditional furniture.

CRIER

The space above will serve as a space where stu dents can congregate and chat for collaboration; book shelves will be placed alongside each column.

The Mustang Café is still a work in progress; this area does not have a specific designation for students.

One of several rooms that can be used by stu dents, the technology workroom is still a work in progress.

KNOW THE DRILL Crier staff members walk into the brand new Media Center. Construction of the media center has students eagerly waiting for what is in store. The new media center contains brand new floors, walls, bathrooms, counter tops and more. The Media Center will be furnished around late September, but students should have access in the next coming weeks.

One of the many rooms that students can use; the space is currently a storage space until the me dia center is fully up and running.

ms. kelly hladek media specialist

8808 columbia ave. munster, indiana 46321

Sinceyear.the beginning of the year, students have had to adjust these changes, along with a variety of others. As a result, there have been questions of lingering uncertain ty. What will the remainder of the year look like with the adjustments—a new principal, a differing schedule, no contact time and—most apparent—the construction littering every edge of the school.

Walking into the new Media Center, students are flooded with freshly painted walls, tower ing glass doors, new counter tops and shiny floors. This is the scene that replaces the 1996 remodel of the Media Center, and it is a development that sym bolizes the administering of many new changes to the school

super excited and eager to be able to work in the LGI and media

mr. morganprincipalnolan

It’ll be more inviting for classes that go in there, there’s going to be some rooms that they can use and study in.

munster high school

volumeissue591 september 09, 2022

Opening the doors

New bathrooms were built adjacent to the media center. However, this space is unavailable to stu dents and will be used if the school hosts events.

reena alsakaji & sydney jones editor-in-chief and page editor

This space is located in what may be the Mustang Café.

Construction

The study rooms on both sides of the media center is an area for students to work quietly, as opposed to the chatter in the middle of the media center.

“It’s been redesigned in a way that students and teachers can use it in a lot of different ways,” Ms. Kelly Hladek, media specialist, said.

http://mhsnews.net

“I like the construction. I think it’s a really fun way to keep students interested in the school,” Anagha Ko dukula, senior, said. “I think a lot of the students are fascinated by it, including myself. And I know everyone’s

Untilcenters.”theMedia Center is complete, Ms. Kelly Hladek, media specialist, is encouraging students to take advan tage of the eLibrary. Books will eventually be located in shelves along the red pillars of the Media Center. But the entirety of the space, according to Principal Morgan No lan and Mr. Sean Begley, director of operations, is also very flexible. The rooms may be accessible to students for Speech and Debate practice, or for AP testing in the fu ture. There are several distinct areas for group work that teachers will be able to reserve, with labels such as “pro fessional development area” and “collaboration room” on the walls. The Mustang Cafe, however, is still up in the air regarding when it will be up and running. The idea is something that Mr. Nolan and Mr. Begley will continue to discuss.

Students and staff reflect on new changes to the 2022-2023 school year

“When you look at this whole project it’s very flexible — the Mustang Cafe is a piece to it.” “ mr. sean begley director of operations

continues on page 2. 

munster high school

Construction on the Media Center was a $3.5 million project beginning at the end of the previous school year, with financing directly allocated through the school’s Operation Funds. Students have been allowed access to the Media Center for computer problems, moving these technological functions out of the fab lab. But proper entry, according to Principal Morgan Nolan, is set for the next coming weeks. However, its full completion is esti mated to be around Thanksgiving Break, with furniture coming in around early October. The goal of the reno vations is to allow more students to utilize the resources available to them.

With the change of principal this year, morning announcements have been intro duced. Every morning, Mr. Nolan’s voice crackles through the intercom, reciting the pledge, providing infor mation about upcoming events, and wishing stu dents a great day. It also gives students a chance to hear from the princi pal more frequently. Mr. Nolan plans to contin ue morning announce ments, providing stu dents with the opportunity to take a deep breath and focus on the day ahead.

space for collaboration among students

what students can expect?

photo by ethan pischnerphoto by anna evilsizor

Last year, still having scattered covid restrictions, administration was not able to get students in one area to discuss regulations. Some students have felt that there was more leniency in terms of dress code and have found the execution to be overwhelming compared to years past, because people were still getting accli mated to school again. Now with most things back to normal, administration immediately decided to clearly inform students for understanding, and has gone to greater lengths to emphasize the hand book. Some students find certain rules and changes reasonable, especially in regards to student safety, but others find certain regulations to be tedious.

access to quiet rooms for silent study

the way the cookie crumbls an undercover crisis

“The cafe is still a big question mark,” Mr. Nolan said. “I think that’s the ques tion, who’s in charge of it? The tough thing is trying to figure out what we want to do with it. There was this idea of having cof fee and stuff like that served down there, and I have no problem with it. But who’s going to serve the coffee? So we’re having some of those discussions. We’re not sure. But it provides the flexibility to do some things down there that we might not have had before.”

“There’s always a cost-benefit analy sis for everything that you do,” Mr. Nolan said. “The question was, ‘what are the most important things for us to be successful as a school district?’ For me, that’s teachers working together in teams. That’s one of the most important things— an orderly envi ronment is number one. Number two is a place where we have collegial ity and teamwork. We went through a lot of additions on the schedule, we looked at blocking, we looked at some different things. We de cided to make the smallest change possible to get what we wanted.”

has been what Link Crew will be doing to help“Sincenow. MRT has been eliminated, the administration and link crew sponsors have been in conversations to have events during the school day instead,” Ms. Kris ten Szafasz, social studies teacher, said.

“The dress code is all very vague and when I got called down, nobody was able to tell me any more than my shirt was “a little low,” Evvy Kikkert, sophomore, said. “My undergarments were covered. If my violation of the dress code was because what I was wearing was “provocative,” then I would like someone to say that to my face and explain that to me. The dress code is vague and I received little to no explanation on what rule I was actually breaking.”

A long line spews out the door with people waiting to try the new cookie lineup of the week. The new Crumbl, located in Dyer, releases six new cookie flavors at the start of each week.

is determined solely by Crier staff. Crier decided to cover new changes and rules as the community of MHS is changing, and stu dents have had questions. It is Crier’s job to answer them.

reserved rooms for group projects library books and the eLibrary : stm.mackinvia.com

8

read on page

Updates on Rules

at a glance.

“At first, I was like, why do we do this, but I found that was just a really good way for students to build some auditory con nection with me, you know, as a person, right?” Mr. Nolan said. “It’s hard for me to be visible in the school, physically at all times. I love getting in classrooms. I love being out in the hallways, I love being at lunch.”

The further integration of Professional Learning Communities was a long-stand ing goal for Mr. Nolan, and its impact is felt by both students and staff alike. PLCs designate time to build team communi ties with clear goals. Teachers meet each morning in several teams, replacing pre vious contact time on Tuesday mornings and MRTs in the school day. This, how ever, according to Mr. Nolan, was a stra tegic decision, as now students can meet with teachers any day they do not have a meeting.“Itisjust working through those things should give some more flexibility for teachers and students to try to work to gether to keep the academic stuff mov ing forward,” Mr. Nolan said. “If kids or students need access to the math depart ment, there should be more access, be cause the access is available four times a week now as opposed to one time a week.

It’s really just working with your teammates and your Makingcolleagues.”thedecision on how to change the schedule was not an easy task, but it was one that Mr. Nolan believes will be benefi cial in the long run.

Morning Announcements

The absence of MRT is something that students are still getting used to, and that certain clubs have been working around. Students and clubs, regardless of their opinion, have had to adjust. For example, this absence of MRT also posed a problem for Link Crew, a club that focuses on help ing the incoming freshman through their first year of high school. Last year, Link Crew spent time in freshmen MRTs to pro vide fun and helpful information. A com mon question since the schedule change

Our Content...

held in the auditorium. In addition to cu riosity about the new changes, some stu dents wonder why it seems there are new, stricter rules this year. Turns out it is just a common misconception.

“I think the perception is different. Because last year, we didn’t get to do the full handbook presentation. And so I think we were just more intentional this year about communicating expectations,” Mrs. Helen Fuller, dean of students, said.

At the beginning of the school year, stu dents attended the disciplinary assembly

read on page 3by the (hand)book

Continued from Front

LONGTIME NO SEE Touring through the hallways, alumni explore the new construction and revamped media center before the Hall of Fame assembly on Aug. 26.

order in the court

02 news. friday, september 09, 2022

Committed D1 to the University of Texas at El Paso, Lauren Wallace, senior, is most excited to strengthen her volleyball skills, travel with her team and room with her best friend, Mila Popovic.

In recent years, mental health in schools has reached a decline. On average, nearly 1 in 5 students suf fers from a mental healtheachdisorderyear.

CHECKING OUT After getting computer help, Juan Guzman, sophomore, checks out of the new media center this week.

Professional ChangesCommunitiesLearning&Schedule

read on page 7

There has been a stricter empha sis placed on some rules over the other, all with the idea of upholding the student handbook to establish a “professional learning environment.”

read on page 6

Business Josephine Mittelberger ilijevski annie

•Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed. All letters must be signed and should be emailed to the editor (reenaalsakaji@gmail.com). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors.

How do you feel about the rules and changes this year?

Photographersfuller

items of clothing than they did 15 years ago. But consumers keep that clothing for only half as long as they used to; fast fashion is made to be cheap, not durable. With fast fashion brands like Shein ac counting for 40% of sales, it contributes to students going through more trends faster.Though the student handbook should not have to constantly update to adjust to new fashion trends, clearly addressing new trends and if they violate the hand book and why can close the divide.

From a student standpoint, what do you want students to know about the changes you’ve made? And any changes you plan to make in the future?

‘That’s the end result.’

There is a clear divide between the ex ecution of the rule and what is written in the handbook. Not only do some rules lack consistency (excessively baggy cloth ing is almost never dress-coded, despite explicitly stated in the handbook), but the explanation of these rules were not given. For example, revealing midriff was emphasized at the assembly, but it was notStudentsexplained.value

More constructive ways should be put in place to support a professional learning environment without stopping certain students from learning.

The problem is made worse by the gen erational disconnect between administra tors and students. Clothes aren’t made the same, mainly because of fast fashion. According to The State of Fashion 2019, the average person today buys 60% more

Right at the beginning of the year, we had the lecture in the auditorium regard ing school rules. What went into holding that meeting and holding it right away? When I was in student services, we did those meetings with classes at some point in time. We hadn’t had those because of Covid and getting kids together. So I had asked student services—I think we need to jump on this opportunity and have some early-on meetings, get kids together, make sure they understand expectations and procedures so that there’s transparency. My opinion’s al ways been that students will follow the rules if they know the rules.

•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community. •Published material will stress objective reporting except on the opinion page. All published material will stress accuracy, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence. Corrections, when necessary, will be published on page 2.

our staff

“The changes I like this year are definitely the new media center. I feel like kids will ac tually use it now that it’s remodeled. “

Guest Editor Josephine Mittelberger

•Anonymous sources will be used if and only if the content matter is of high importance and if identification could bring any possible harm towards the individual or others.

Page Editors Sydney Jones, Seamus Keegan, Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy Damien Salahieh

CRIER

charlie

Photography Trainer Anna Evilsizor

Filing through the doors on the sec ond day of school, students entered the auditorium for a lecture regard ing expectations and rule procedures. For the first time since the pandemic hit, this meeting was held in conjunction with student services to discuss the student handbook. As the lecture went on, the discussion seemed to remain the typical, run-of-the-mill policies on school rules. However, there lingered a feeling of dis connect between the students and the speakers—the rules themselves were clear, but an unequal emphasis on certain as pects, specifically dress code, left students feeling confused about the reasoning be hind such regulations.

Zoe Clark, Ethan Pischner, Marianna Young

The first reason is culture. It’s hard for me to be visible in the school at all times. I love getting in classrooms. I love being out in the hallways. I went into public education to be around students. That’s really hard to do as principal at times. When I went to the mid dle school, they said, ‘You got to do these announcements to start the day.’ At first, I was like, ‘why do we do this?’ but I found that it was a good way for students to build some auditory connection with me as a per son. Whether I like being the figurehead of a school or not, that’s the role I serve.

Understanding why the school values certain rules is just as important as fol lowing them. While students recognize that some rules are made in their best interest, that divide can only be bridged with clear communication. If loose terms like “conductive learning environment” and “professionalism” are thrown around without guidelines, it makes students feel as if they are being undermined in their importance to the school.

sophomore sophomore ”

giselle edwardssenior

•Opinions expressed in the newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration. All content is decided and produced solely by Crier staff.

Though the handbook itself has not changed with the arrival of a new admin istration, there is a large difference in the execution, expectations and culture of the school, all with the idea of upholding the student handbook to establish a “pro fessional learning environment.” While some rules have a clear connection to cre ating this environment, others, such as the outdated dress code and its enforcement, leaves a question unanswered in the eyes

Manager

illustration by damien salahieh column staff opinion

Story Editor Lauren Hoogeveen

guest

proper communica tion; in the seats of the auditorium, what flickered through the minds of many stu dents was the question of “why.” How do these rules contribute to the education of students, to the idea of the professional learning environment?

Editor-in-Chief Reena Alsakaji

Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman

Are you planning to continue the morn ing announcements? Yes. Why would you like to?

“I am glad school starts at 8 a.m. now everyday. Some changes were frustrating, though, like no free lunch anymore and such a strict phone/airpod policy.” “

By the (Hand) Books

Cartoonist

03opinion.friday, september 09, 2022

We are required by law to do the Pledge of Allegiance in Indiana and a moment of si lence. So that’s a quick way to kind of knock that out. We can speculate the underlying reasons for a moment of silence. But from my standpoint, as someone who really be lieves in meditation and mindfulness, here’s a chance to just stop for a second. Take a few deep breaths, focus on my day in front of me there’s a lot of science that backs that up.

An excerpt from a transcribed interview with Mr. Morgan Nolan, Principal

The thing that I hope that the PLC pro cess will do the most is help students feel that they’re getting a more individualized educational experience, and that teachers are really trying to meet their needs. I think students feel strongly that, ‘I can pick classes and I want to meet my needs. I want to take AP English, but I don’t want to take AP US History.’ But within that class, do they feel that they’re getting a genuine experience that meets their needs? That’s the end result better instruction to the classroom, more in dividualized instruction, more responding to students’ needs, and less setting benchmarks and when students fail to get there being like, ‘Well, they just fail to get there.’ How are we responding to that?

of students: how does the current dress code, with its unequal administration and explanation, contribute to establish ing a safe and professional environment that betters student learning?

“Overall, I think the rules are respectable, but I do believe they can be a little more understanding and lenient of certain situations.” “

Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached via mail at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321 or at (219) 836-3200, ext. 3443. Crier is published through the Advanced Student Media: Newspaper classes and extracurricular involvement. Crier’s official website is mhsnews.net.

opinion backtalk

Ms. Robyn Brown

Ms. Alissa Scott

BIENVENDIO In front of the class, Ms. Alis sa Scott, Spanish teacher, teaches Spanish I.

photo by zoe

photo by zoe clark

Favorite hobby: “My favorite pas time is playing golf because it’s chal lenging and I love to be outside.”

Subjects taught: English Composi tion and English 11

FINE TUNING Flipping the page of the sheet music, conducts a piece in preparation for the Symphony New Albany, IN, Miss Quinn started playing the the viola in college as a secondary instrument.

Favorite hobby: “My hobbies include reading and crossword puzzles. I enjoy playing games, going to movies so I can get together with friends and family.”

Fresh faces fill empty spaces

DRAWING THE LINE Ms. Robyn Brown, math teacher, laughs with her students after discussing points and lines.

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I’m looking forward to getting to know the Munster High School stu dents and staff.”

Name pronunciation: rhymes with sing with an st at the end (Hing-st)

Subjects taught: Orchestra Years teaching: First year

Years teaching: 40

Subjects taught: Geometry and Algebra I

Lauren Holden

Subjects taught: Spanish 1 Years teaching: 23

Favorite hobby: “My favorite hobby would have to be painting or weightlifting. Painting allows me to decompress and let my thoughts flow freely. Also, I enjoy my time at the gym lifting because it is a way for me to clear my mind.”

Favorite hobby: “I think my fa vorite hobby overall is reading. I like mysteries.”

HELPING HAND During her lesson, Ms. Lauren Holden, math teacher, assists a stu dent with a math problem.

MHS welcomes new teachers

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I am rather than people my age.”

Favorite hobby: “I like to crochet, watch anime.”

looking forward to teaching literature and composition again.”

photo by marianna young

SMILING SIMILES Teaching figurative language, Ms. Debra Hingst, English teacher, talks to her composition class.

04 infocus. friday, september 09, 2022

photo by anna evilsizor

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I’m

Ms. Debra HingstMs.

Years teaching: First year Hopes for the upcoming year: “I am looking forward to getting to know new students, spending time with staff members and teaching one of my favorite subjects.”

photo by marianna young

Miss Levacy Quinn

Subjects taught: Geometry Years teaching: First year Hopes for the upcoming year: “I’m really looking forward to getting to know the students and the school as a whole. It is completely different from places I’ve been before so it is just really interesting to meet every one and see their interests. That sort of thing.”

and

BUSINESS IS BOOMING Mr. Eric Sera, marketing and principles of business management teacher, teaches the class about the Hierarchy of Effects.

Subjects taught: Geometry and PreCalculus/Trigonometry

photo by zoe clark

photo by marianna young

clark am excited to work with older students, to horror fiction podcasts

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I am looking forward to getting to learn more about my students and getting to know them better, and hopefully having an im pact in helping them grow in their learning and succeed. I want them to be successful.”

Favorite hobby: “I love to travel, especially overseas travel. I love any thing to do with culture. I like going to the opera, I like going to rock con certs and I am a musician. I’m a singer and I studied at IU school of music.”

photo by lauren hoogeveen

Name pronunciation: “It’s like the girls name Sarah.”

Favorite hobby: “Running—I gotta give two—well, I guess working out. Running and crossfit. I love both of those.”

Quinn

Years teaching: First year

Subjects taught: Biology

Subjects taught: Marketing and principles of business management

Hopes for the upcoming year: “Sparking interest in cooking and cre ativity.”

Mrs. ChidichimoChristine

Mr. Eric Sera

LET’S GET COOKING At her desk, Ms. Angelique Kerger, FACS teacher, gives her students their new groups for when they begin to use the kitchen.

photo by marianna young photo by zoe clark

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I’m looking forward to taking the next group of students and helping

Angelique Kerger

Mr. Thomas Ehrlich

THAT’S THE POINT Ms. Christine Chidichimo, math teacher, talks to students about how points and lines make up our daily lives.

Favorite hobby: “Painting, oil painting. I enjoy it and I mostly do surrealism.”

POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL At the board, Ms. Saman tha Krueger, science teacher, explains the parts of an animal cell. Ms. Krueger teaches six biology classes a day.

Favorite hobby: “My favorite hobbies are watching football and playing video games. I have grown up with both, so it has kind of just been ingrained on me.”

Hopes for the upcoming year: “I’m looking forward to the students, and teaching biology in general.”

Name pronunciation: Chid-ee-cheemoe

Name pronunciation: “Think of Freddy Krueger” (crew-gur)

transform them into our next titans of industry.”

Ms. Samantha Krueger

Subjects taught: Geometry and Alge bra I

Favorite hobby: “I like watch ing documentary films, going to the beach, bike riding and playing bas ketball. I used to be into card flipping basketball cards, haven’t done that in awhile.”

05infocus.friday, september 09, 2022

Years teaching: 1

music, Miss Levacy Quinn, orchestra director, Symphony Orchestra’s fall concert. Originally from the violin in elementary school and picked up

Years teaching: 6 Name pronunciation: Earl-ick Hopes for the upcoming year: “I am looking forward to getting to know the students and to get a feel for the school culture.”

Subjects taught: Introduction to Culinary Arts I and Introduction to Culinary Arts II

FUN WITH FUNCTIONS While teaching, Mr. Thomas Ehrlich, math teacher, jokes around with his students.

Years teaching: 20

listen

Years teaching: Around 25 Name pronunciation: “Like merg er (murr gerr), but kerger (kurr gerr).”

Crave

CrUblsmINSIDETHECOOKIE

When first walking into the quaint restaurant—almost hidden amongst the shops surrounding—bright colors and warm smells flood your senses. A color ful assortment of macaroons is the first thing you see, alongside friendly workers greeting customers. Royal Tea has several options for customers, including differ ent fruit and milk boba teas, along with yakults and fruit smoothies.

Super tailored to your preferences with so many different add-ins and toppings to choose from. It was very filling and the Crier staff loved finishing off this sweet and savory treat.

The classic of all desserts, you can never go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. This cookie has large chunky chocolate pieces which melt in your mouth. Just like most chocolate chip cookies, it tastes best warm and fresh.

Mango Yakult + Tapioca- $5.99 4/5

Crave’s location is definitely a hotspot since it is next to a Crumbl Cookie and a grocery store. Despite the location, the inside of Crave is not very busy. There are a couple small tables to sit at and eat, but the ice cream can be served to-go as well. Compared to the Coldstone across the street, the prices are about the same for a basic cup of ice cream. However, Crave has many outof-the-box dishes that are more expen sive but incomparable to other places around the area.

dorothy lakshmanamurthy page editor

sydney jones editor

Chocolate Chip Rating: 5/5

Red Velvet Rating: 4/5

Cookies N’ Crave Deluxe Bubble Waffle Cone rating: 4/5

Cookie Monster Deluxe Ice Cream Taco rating:4/5

Crumbl Cookie

A COLD TREAT Crier staff visits Crave and gets the cookies N' Cream Deluxe waffle cone taco.

A popular item is the “make your own poke bowl,” which is a mix of rice and different toppings of your choice. You can choose from fish or meat and fruits, vegetables, seaweed, ginger, and various sauces. The prices vary based on the item and size, but it is around $5.99 for most drinks. Compared to other boba places in the area, Royal Tea is more expensive by at least one to two dollars. Overall, the more expensive prices are worth it if you want a quality poke bowl along with some adequate boba. The serving sizes are more than enough and definitely fills you up. The more costly charge is worth it if you are looking for quantity. When it comes to quality on the other hand, it’s

The base of this cookie, including the cookie itself and the frosting, is flavorless. This cookie is chilled, but the coldness makes the cookie less chewy and more crumbly and messy. The cookie is topped off with a straw berry and puree topping which is sim ilar to the kind that is on top of some ice cream sundaes. The strawberry topping somewhat saves the cookie’s flavor, but the overall taste is bland.

A long line spews out the door with people waiting to try the new cookie lineup of the week. The new Crumbl, located in Dyer, releases six new cookie flavors at the start of each week. The classic chocolate chip always remains available every week. These sharable sized cookies vary in many different flavors, including some flavors from the previous weeks: cotton candy, ap ple pie, brownie batter, cornbread, just to name a few.

Oreo Sandwich Rating: 4/5

photo by zoe clark

The smell of waffles and the sizzling of the batter strikes you as you walk in. Right before you enter, a menu is posted on the window with a wide selection of many unique ice cream flavors and dishes to choose from. From ice cream tacos, to bubble waf

Once you get through the line and get inside, the process of ordering the cookies is really efficient. You walk up to an electronic tablet and select the cookies you want without ordering face-to-face with a worker. Although as you wait for your order, there are no tables to sit down at and barely any room to stand. The inside of Crumbl is not very spacious, and it is difficult to wait for your order without being in someone’s way. The cookies can be purchased in different sized boxes. To get a box of all six flavors of the week, it is $18. To just purchase four cookies, it is $13. If you just want one cook

page

dorothy lakshmanamurthy page editor

Crier staffers review various dessert shops in the area

The Crier staff also tried the fruit popping boba in place of tapioca pearls. They come in all different flavors such as mango, strawberry, and lychee. They add a fresh spin onto a heavy or milky sort of drink. The popping boba option was an amazing option for this drink because the fresh fruit flavors went real ly well together, but the tapioca was still a great add on.

who have not tried boba before. Howev er, it tastes a lot like the competitors in the area, such as Motea.

Poke Bowl- Rating:4/5

Brown Sugar Milk Tea + Tapioca- 4/5 out of 5 stars The Crier staff agreed that you can really taste the brown sugar and it’s easy on the palette, making it an excellent starter drink. Tapioca pearls add a different texture to the tea and they give you something to munch on. The drink is good for people

The cookie tastes exactly like a red vel vet cake, and has a similar cake consis tency as well. It is topped with a simple, but enjoyable, cream cheese frosting. The staffers do not particularly love red velvet cake, but If you do, this is the cookie foryou.This

TEA FOR TWO After school, Crier staff goes to Royal Tea and gets passion fruit & lychee green tea, mango yakult tea and a poke bowl.

BOX Crier staff reviews crumbl cookie from pictured left to right red velvet, cinnamon fry bread, circus animal, strawberry shortcake and oreo sandwich.

Passion Fruit & Lychee Green Tea4/5

The bubble waffle cone is prepared right in front of you. The cone is filled with cookies and cream ice cream, marshmallows, and chocolate sauce. The multiple toppings cohesively blend with the ice cream within the warm bubble waffle cone to create such a tasty treat. The portion size of the dessert is big enough to serve 3 people. Since the one cone is large enough to serve 3 peo ple, the price is quite reasonable.

The concept of an ice cream taco is very eye-catching, along with a Cook ie Monster flavor. The blue ice cream is arranged in a cinnamon tasting taco cone with toppings of cookie crisp ce real, Chips Ahoy, and chocolate drizzle. The blue ice cream tastes like a sugar cookie in ice cream form, but the fla vor is not overwhelming. The toppings and ice cream blend together to create the perfect dish that you can share with about 2-3 friends.

The way the cookie

Royal Tea

lacking a bit considering the price.

chilled cookie, which appears to look like a large oreo, has a filling that tastes much like an oreo milkshake. The two outer cookies taste as if oreos were crushed and compacted together. To get the full experience, make sure this cookie is chilled.

“I actually really liked it and chugged half of it,” Zoe Clark, sophomore, said. This tea is very citrusy and the right amount of sweet to where it isn't over bearing or not there. It’s easy to differ entiate the passion fruit flavor to the lychee and green tea flavors. The drink was even topped off with a lime slice. It is also surprisingly customizable with plenty of add ons. This goes for all of the drinks.

fle cones, milkshakes, and bubble waffle cone bites, the variety is endless.

Circus Animal Rating: 4/5

Strawberry Shortcake Rating: 2/5

06 review. friday, september 09, 2022

ie, it costs $4. You can also purchase a Crumbl cookie cutter, for $5, to easily cut your cookies into 4 equal pieces.

This cookie is simple and not too rich. Although the staffers were unable to have this cookie with the animal cracker topping, it does not disappoint. The cookie tastes and has the same tex ture as a confetti cake. The simple frost ing pairs well with the cookie, and the sprinkles add to the visual appeal

photo by lita cleary

Record: 3-2-2

Next game: Sept. 12 against Lake Central at home at 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to play LC because the game was delayed, and now I think we have a better chance at winning. We had injured players that are now better which will help us win,” — Daniel Kim, junior

Record: 3-1 Next game: tonight against Hammond Morton at 7“Notp.m.winning many games in the past has been a bit of a bummer, but this year we’re looking great,” — Cristian Silva, junior

“I hope we can successfully make it to State,” — Emma Eden, junior

photo by zuzu smith

As a junior, Kisel has watched the team undergo many changes, such as a new coach this year. Founder of Dunes Volleyball Club in LaPorte, IN, Coach Rick Ashmore, varsi ty volleyball coach, has coached at numerous high schools in Northwest Indiana, such as Lake Central and Michigan City. His goals for this season are to key in on strengthening skills for Conference and State matches. With

photo by anna evilsizor

Record: 20:15 for 5000 meter, Elora Bliss, senior

Next meet: tomorrow at Lowell at 8 a.m. “As a team, I hope we can make it past regionals and push each other to do bet ter,” — Eva Olsen, sophomore

OFF WITH A KICK Kicking the ball, Alex Orange, senior, takes a shot at the net.

07sports.friday, september 09, 2022

Order in the Court

Record: 7-3 Next match: Sept. 10 at Zionsville at 7 a.m. “I am looking forward to getting the Varsity spot and winning the State championship,” — Aaryan Patel, sophomore

Record: 4-1-3 Next game: Sept. 13 against Highland at home at 7 p.m. “I think overall we are trying to have a winning season while staying confident and having fun,” — Natalie Kindt , junior

photo by lita cleary

JUMP START Leaping up, Gracyn Gilliard, freshman, blocks the opponents spike attempt at a home game against Lowell on Aug. 30. “I always love working on making strong friend ships with my teammates because it can really affect how you play,” Mackenzie Sellers, sophomore, said. “For the team, I just hope for everyone to try their best. If someone is giving it their all, there really isn’t much more you can ask for.”

Next meet: tomorrow at Lowell at 8 a.m. “The highlight of this season was when me and Ralph Brown finished in the top 5,” — Ian Smith, junior

new athletic trainers and other staff, the team looks forward to upcoming changes in coach ing.“I really hope to see more connections between the coaches and the girls this year,” Mackenzie Sellers, sophomore, said. “I feel like that is a big part of a team, not just hav ing good relationships with your teammates but also your coaches. I also hope to get new perspectives on things from the new coaching staff.”In her last high school volleyball season, Lauren Wallace, senior, looks forward to watching the team grow as a whole and hopes to hit her 1,000th kill mark. In volleyball, a kill is an offensive or defensive move that scores a point for the team. Committed D1 to the University of Texas at El Paso, Wallace is most excited to strengthen her volleyball skills, travel with her team and room with her best friend, Mila Popovic. Also committed to UTEP but for beach volleyball, Popovic is currently a senior at Marian Catholic High School.“When I first got the offer to play in col lege, I was really surprised because it was my first phone call with UTEP and maybe five minutes into the phone call, they offered,” Wallace said.

photo by ethan pischner

RUNNING LATE At practice, sophomores Lukas Stewart and Seamus Riley and seniors Noah Villar real and Ezekiel Gomez run past the school.

ACED IT Reaching over, Aaryan Patel, sophomore, hits the ball back over the net. At that match, he won 6-0.

photo by zuzu smith

lauren hoogeveen story editor

Record: 3-2 for 9 hole

The squeaky gym floors, the blow of a whistle and her teammates cheering her on are sounds all too familiar to Julianna Kis el, junior. With so many new players on the volleyball team, two tournaments early in the season helped the team learn what they need to focus on at practice—mainly communi cation. The volleyball team won their first Conference match against Lowell on Aug. 30, making their overall Conference record 1-1. Their next game is Sept. 12 against Lake Central.“Wejust need to communicate more and I feel very confident that we are already getting better and better at that,” Kisel said. “We are super excited to crush it at our next tourna ment. We’re putting in the work.”

CALLING QUARTERS Football players gather on the field for the coin toss.

In the midst of their season, volleyball prepares for remaining Conference matches

photo by anna evilsizor

ON THE RUN In unison, freshmen Giana Bar tusiak and Olivia Gena and sophomores Erica Franco and Teah Pierce, run along Columbia Ave at practice.

GOAL KICK Lining up her feet, Natalie Kindt, junior, kicks the ball to her teammates from the goalie box.

photo by lita cleary PUTT-ING EFFORT Following through on her putt, Emma Edens, ju nior, hits the ball in thew hole.

Next match: Today against Illi ana at 4:30 p.m.

FALL SPORTS FALL SPORTS FALL SPORTS FALL SPORTS FALL

Flops' by Bhad Barbie. Simply because it's a banger.""Itwould be inappro priate but Ludacris' 'Move Get Out the Way.' I got things to do!"

While MHS does have resources to help students who are struggling, some students feel that the school could do more. When

all suicides.

Passed last year, House Bill 1565 requires each public school, non public school that employs one or more employees, and approved postsecondary educational institu tions that issue a student identifica tion card to a student after June 30, 2022, to include the national, local, or state Suicide Prevention Hotline, Human Trafficking Hotline, Na tional Sexual Assault Hotline, and Teen Dating Violence Hotline. The National Suicide Prevention hotline changed from a 10-digit hotline to the new, easy-to-remember 988.

"'The Moment of Truth' by Survivor because the lyrics are really empowering and also because it's from Karate Kid."

backtalk

All The Time Go' because I feel like I'm just growing up so fast. Sometimes I just think wow, I'm in high school already."

CostaGracefreshmanKatona,Peters,sophomoreAddiSanow,juniorTsakopoulos,seniorMr.DillonThomson,science

The mental health club callout is Septem ber 21st, and Jocelyn encourages anyone who needs help or would like to be a part of their community to check it out.

"'Gucciit."Flip

“If you ever feel alone, please reach out to someone, please feel free to reach out to me (9001112@student.munster.us),”Jocelyn said. “Always remember that the bad mo ments are temporary, you won’t feel this way forever. You are loved, you are important, and you matter.”

Giselle Edwards,senior

Students sit in a stark classroom, the walls painted a bright white, the floor tiled. They sit next to each other, and yet each feels alone. Their long list of assignments and to-dos looms over their heads like a wave, just waiting to youranddothingaboutwhendobyrememberweekplacePreventionNationalcrash.SuicideWeektakesSept.4-10.It’satohelpeveryonetostandthoseinneed,andourbesttonoticethosewecarearestruggling.“Ithinkthebiggestthatpeoplecanisjustbeawareattunedtowhatfriendsaregoingthrough,”

"The Chain' by Fleet wood Mac because I think it would be a cool entrance song."

What would be your theme song walking into school?

” When students are forced to take on mentalresponsibilities,multipletheirhealthstartstogetworse “ Anonymous Crier’s survey of80%children who need help won’t get 14%it.Ages 10-24 account for

seamus

Mrs. KathleenAnniesocialLaPorte,studiesFuller,sophomore

"'Lost' by BTS because I literally still have no idea where I'm going half the time.""'Where'd

illustration by damien salahieh

“The first person that comes to mind is Mr. Boruff, at the beginning of each class he always asks the students how their day is go ing,” Jocelyn Lemus, senior and Co-President

of

"Dangervibe."Zone'

CDC

"'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley be cause the song has a great vibe and I got a great

of the Mental Health Club said. “He’ll often send emails out to his classes with words of encouragement as well, to have a teacher who cares about you and your mental health is probably one of the most beneficial things a student could have,”

help won’t get it.

08 student life. friday, september 09, 2022

In recent years, mental health in schools has reached a decline. According to the Na tional Library of Medicine (NLM), on av erage, nearly 1 in 5 students suffer from a mental health disorder each year. That means in a room of 25 children, 5 are potentially suffering from issues like anxiety, depression and substance abuse. And yet, according to the NLM, nearly 80% of children who need

An Undercover Crisis

Hiba Fatima, senior and Vice President of Mental Health Club, said. “And trying to take care of yourself at the same time, just checking in on people or literally asking someone how their day is and allowing them a space to tell you is a very major and important thing.”

“I feel like from admin, especially the last couple years, we’ve kind of just been getting rules and what we shouldn’t be doing rather than actual support or building a safe space or community for students,” Hiba said.

by Top Gun. Nothing gets me ready for my day more than hearing it. It always pumps me up for the day.""Mine would be “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake"

Sofia Salamanca,freshman Nicole

"Probably 'Three O'Clock Things' by AJR. It has a great vibe to

Simon Casey,junior

sources: National Library of Medicine and

Indiana is taking some steps to help, by adding some hotlines to the backs of student IDs. However, according to some students, there’s still more administration could do.

asked in our survey the question “How well do you think the school supports you in your mental health?” 33% of students rated the school’s support as either a 3 or 4 out of 10.

keegan page editor

Crier conducted a survey to go along with this article. We received a total of 228 respons es from Aug. 24-30, and while Mr. Clark says no formal announcement was made, our sur vey shows that 71% of students did notice the new numbers. In addition to the hotlines, MHS offers a few alternatives, such as social workers, guidance counselors, and outside professionals that can be brought in to help. Most students feel that teachers also play a big role in the health of students.

Students discuss Suicide Prevention Week and new hotlines on student IDs

Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.