Photo by Josephine Zangrilli
Lights, camera, action
Munster Theater’s spring musical begins on May 1
With the first show only one week away, the Munster Theater Company prepares for their spring musical production. The production named “Some Enchanted Evening” is a show featuring songs by composers Rodgers and Hammerstein, with the theme being relationships and your love for another person. During the show, the performers will sing a variety of different songs and will feature solos throughout the performance.
“A common misconception about musical revues is that they don’t have acting,” junior Wesley Harle said “ That’s not the case; you are performing through your song.”
Since this show is a musical revue, there is no dialogue being spoken. The whole show is performed through songs and gestures, and no regular spoken dialogue.
“I’m excited to get to have a show where it’s just non-stop singing,” Harle said. “It will give us a lot of opportunity for artistic expression.”
With the auditorium under construction, the spring production will be performed at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts. Harle describes his feelings about the new stage en-
vironment.
“It’s scary, because it’s a very different experience from anything we’ve performed on before, but also very exciting,” he said.
With a change in environment and a show with no dialogue, this production can bring on many challenges. Sophomore Logan Dumaresq describes his biggest challenge during a theater production.
“The most challenging part is keeping all of your lines in order. Because you can’t replace lines, you have to keep them the same way,” Dumaresq said.
Despite the challenges, the members of the cast stay positive and are working hard to put on a successful show.
“A good production doesn’t depend on how well the show does,” Dumaresq said. “It’s how much fun you have while you’re doing it.”
All the members who are putting this show together, whether it be the tech producers or the cast members, encourage everyone to come out to see the spring musical review.
“This is a show to be watched to see our movements, see the singing, or listen to the singing, and it is enchanting,” Harle said.
Cultural Spotlight
Charles Chen
Writer Evelyn Koncalovic
Student government holds cultural exchange
In the commons during Tutorial on May 1, Student Government will hold its Culture Day. A variety of the school’s culture clubs will present tri-folds and slide shows, sharing their unique heritage.
“These culture clubs are going to be able to spotlight their culture,” senior Luna Gutierrez said. “They’ll be able to just celebrate a little bit and rejoice.”
Along with presentations, culture clubs are encouraged to bring stickers and other goodies to hand out. They will also have opportunities to share their culture’s music through the commons speakers. There will also be a “Best Dressed” competition, where students can dress up in their best cultural gear.
At a glance At a glance
for Environmental Club’s Earth Day celebrations. “I was most excited to see how school would contribute to composting within the community,” Wang said. (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
Yearbook Handout Days
Yearbooks will be available for pickup on May 9 during passing and lunch periods. Tables will be set up outside the lunchroom and sorted by name and grade. If you purchased a yearbook, you will receive a pass. Make sure to bring your pass to pick up, otherwise, you will not be able to get your yearbook.
Best Buddies Prom
Best Buddies will be holding their prom from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on May 3 in the Cafeteria. The event is for freshmen and older only. The event is free for MHS Best Buddies members and $5 per adult.
A Night Under the Stars
“A Night Under the Stars” prom will be held on April 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Villa Cesare in Schererville. The Grand March will be held on the same day from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Wilbur Wright old gym. Professional photography from Royce will be available at the Grand March only. Questions can be directed to Ms. Westland in room N156 or at lawestland@ munster.us.
AP Testing Days
AP testing will be held Monday, May 5 to Thursday, May 15. Afternoon exams will have lunch at 11:00 a.m. and may go past the 2:50 p.m. dismissal.
MIC’D UP Rehearsing for the upcoming show, sophomore Emma Potchen uses a fake microphone to practice her singing. This is her second year of theater. ‘‘We have been doing a lot of stuff in the choir room, which has made it really hard to practice but we have just had to make do with what we have to get this upcoming show ready,” Potchen said. (Photo by Benjamin Schirz)
Photographer DOWN TO EARTH Painting a beetle on a piece of cardboard, junior Grace Wang helps to prepare decorations
Choli
Lehenga
Huipil
Aadh
Jhumia
Attire provided by juniors Rhea Bathla and Valeria Ceja
Photos by Sophia Rodriguez
Why Crier created this
As staff of a student-run publication, as students who sit at the same desks as you, and as citizens who must endure the testing feeds and headlines of our nation, we can all collectively presume that words are of utmost power.
Over the course of the past year, however — the question to speak, to read, to write without restraint — has been ultimately challenged. The current federal administration has dismantled interference with freedom of speech in federal, state and even academic environments.
Crier has exercised the right of freedom of speech without oppression under the privilege of Munster High School. Without the censorship of our administration outlets, Crier has been granted the right to cover these very pressing topics, from referendums to caffeine addictions to book bans.
Our take
Students should engage in their social environment, granted their freedom of speech.
You, as the reader, may be familiar with this pretense just as well: even if you may not recognize it, you exercise your strengths of words every day. Whether you’re a senior in a government class, reaffirming your arguments in a class seminar, or a social me-
“Redacted” was born for this very reason: not simply as a critique of corruption, but rather a testament to the trials that journalists, students and citizens have overcome in the past year alone. Words are of utmost power. Those in power fear freedom of speech, as it is the very beating heart that pumps the core of our discourse.
So, the Crier staff urges you to not only keep reading bravely, but to engage in such a platform to speak your own mind — for the most powerful stories are the ones we aren’t meant to hear.
Setting boundaries
Is she rude or is she setting boundaries? In the media, celebrities, particularly women, have been continuously portrayed as rude, hard to work with and uptight be-
cause they set boundaries. Women like Chappell Roan, Meghan Markle, Billie Eilish and many more have been attacked for setting restrictions and limits. Things like not wanting their children to be taken pictures of, telling fans not to touch them, and calling out normalized behavior that makes them uncomfortable are frowned upon. These women get in trouble for simply living their lives how they want to live them, and asking their fans to respect them.
This is not to say that some celebrities aren’t rude, or they don’t have their moments. Of course they do. The only thing is that this “rudeness” is particularly called out in female celebrities who are looking out for themselves. As normal, not famous people, we have
CRIER CRIER
Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached via mail at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321; via phone at 219-836-3200, ext. 3443. Crier is published through the Student Media: Newspaper 1-4 classes and extra-curricular involvement. Crier’s website is mhsnews.net.
•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community. •Crier is a source of information, entertainment, advertising and opinion for the student body, faculty, administration and community.
•Published material will stress objective reporting except on the editorial page where opinion writing will be featured. All published material will stress accuracy, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence. Corrections, when necessary, will be published on page 2.
our own personal boundaries that we set with our family and friends in everyday life. Things like a personal space bubble, which is taught from a very young age, and respecting other people’s need for privacy. These should transfer to celebrities as well, but parasocial relationships, along with other aspects of fan-celebrity relationships, cause people to forget that celebrities are real people with the same boundaries as us. Parasocial relationships are extremely common with fans and celebrities, and they tend to result in fans feeling like they have authority over their favorite celebrities’ lives. They deserve their own privacy in their personal lives, and while being a celebrity inherently means giving up some of that privacy, it should not mean that all respect for them is lost.
•Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration.
•Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed, but should be limited to 250 words. All letters must be signed and should be either emailed to the editor (emilydywan@outlook.com), given directly to any staff member or delivered to the Publications room, N155. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors. Crier will accept letters from anyone, provided that the content pertains to school or school issues. Feedback may also be submitted on Twitter or Instagram @munstermedia.
•Mailed subscriptions cost $25 per year. Archived digital issues can be found on issuu.com/mhscrier/. Crier is published 10 times a school year. Ad rates and policies are available to anyone upon request.
If I had to guess, you probably only go to the library when absolutely necessary. You’d rather read online, or not read at all. If I had to guess, you probably do not know the sheer importance of a library. You probably don’t know the plague afflicting them.
You may not realize it, but year after year books are being taken from library shelves for their “controversial topics” that include anything from having “demonic material” to two guys kissing. Even “Alice and Wonderland” and “The Diary of Anne Frank” are among the banned books list. In fact, several pieces of our standard English curriculum are on the banned books list, including “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “1984,” and “The Catcher in the Rye.”
We are lucky that our school has been relatively unaffected. Many schools across the nation have had to adapt their curriculum due to complaints from parents and other lobbyists. These books are meaningful and tell an important lesson about the world, both in the time period it’s set and written in, and today. Reading classic literature is a fundamental part of becoming a well-shaped individual, and a fundamental part of education as a result. However, schools are not even the worst for censorship. Public libraries are. Books are quietly being taken from the shelves of local libraries and library systems, and no-one is realizing because fewer and fewer people go. The best way to fight book bans is to read the books that are controversial, to show the library that they are popular and should remain on the shelves. If nobody shows up? The books stop showing up, too.
You should be scared of book bans. Some of the most popular books of past and present have been censored and removed. “The Hunger Games” is banned. “Hamlet” is banned. Where does it end? Will “Romeo and Juliet” get removed because they kill themselves? Will “Pride and Prejudice” vanish because Wickham tried and failed to marry a 15-year-old off screen?
How much longer will we keep stripping these beloved pieces of literature from our shelves for the sake of “removing sensitive content,” until the only thing that remains is the same brand of boring and meaningless book?
Editor-in-Chief Emily Dywan
Deadline Manager Lexi Villalobos
Head Photographer Zoe Clark
Cartoonist and Design Chief Damien Salahieh
Story Editor and Web Chief Emma Starkey
Photography Trainer John Kullerstrand
Writer Charles Chen
Photographers Evelyn Koncalovic, Sophia Rodriguez, Ben Schirz
Social Media Manager Josephine Zangrilli
Beat Manager Gabby Van Horne
Adviser Ms. Alexandra Sulewski
Illustration by Damien Salahieh
Beat Manager
Web Chief
“I can’t believe they posted that on Snap!”
How social media shapes our real life identity and
communication
“ “ The word moist. It gives me an icky feeling.”
Terfler Freshman
W“Did you see what @mhsconfessionals posted?” 12:00
hen you get a chance, look up Notice how many people nearby you are on their phones, scrolling or texting, or taking pictures and videos. The cell phone has become a staple of the modern day. Yet, this staple is considered a cause for concern by many.
Munster’s current cell phone policy states that phones must be in backpacks, out of sight for the duration of standard school hours. Breaking this policy is grounds for having the offending device taken and escalating consequences including detentions. Yet this policy does not seem to do anything to slow the usage of phones in school.
“We kind of talk about cell phones and why we don’t allow it,” dean of students Brad Docter said. “If you look at [Barstool], how many of those pictures are taken in school? A lot of them are.”
seem to suggest a shared mindset, including one run by the National Education Association (NEA).
“Educators who work in schools that allow personal device use find it very disruptive,” NEA said in a report released on August 12, 2024. “An overwhelming majority of NEA members—90 percent—support school policy prohibiting cell phone/personal devices during instructional time, and 83 percent support prohibiting cell phone/personal device usage during the entire school day with exceptions for things like medical or assistive-technology needs.”
“ “ If you look at [Barstool], how many of those pictures are taken in school? A lot of them are.”
Brad Docter Dean of students
While Munster’s own phone policy predated Indiana‘s law to require phone ban policies within public schools statewide, many other schools in the region did not, such as Docter’s former school in Lowell. While the phone policy is consistently debated, Munster administration takes a negative stance towards phones, particularly social media.
“When we were younger, if you had something bad to say about somebody, you had to say it to their face, or there were rumors, you had to physically say it to someone,” Docter said. “Now it’s too easy to hide behind the screen, and you can just say it and not have to worry about consequences, because they’re not there. From time to time, [students] give us screenshots of things that people are saying. It’s just easy to hide behind. And you can say whatever you want.”
It is not just Munster staff who find phones to be detrimental to the academic environment. National surveys
It is not just disruptive, it is prone to inciting hate. The specific algorithm that social media platforms use to boost certain videos has been shown to favor controversy due to the number of comments these topics bring. The American Psychology Association (APA) agrees.
“As researchers have found with the internet more broadly, racism is built into social media platforms,” said the APA. “For example, algorithms can often have centuries of racist policy and discrimination encoded. Social media can become an incubator, providing community and training that fuel racist hate. The resulting potential impact is far-reaching, including physical violence offline, as well as threats to well-being.”
While education seems to take a negative view of phones and social media, the APA does not consider social media to be unilaterally evil, but rather a product of the intersection of people.
“Using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people,” said the APA. ‘Adolescents’ lives online both reflect and impact their offline lives. In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents’ own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstances—intersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms.”
“ “ I want to get rid of the s-word, which is stupid because it makes people insecure of their education.” Alina Evans Sophomore
gross.”
Slimy. Slimy just makes me feel
Ady Mitchell Junior
Not one voice, but many
How students use their freedom of speech in their own ways
Tune in: Sam Mellon
Filming. Editing. Recording. Senior Sam Mellon does it all. From the weekly episodes of Mustang Media to his shared podcast “Everything Sports but Soccer,” Mellon produces student-run media.
“My role in Mustang Media is to film the majority of the interviews and edit whatever interviews we get,” Mellon said. “I go out and film clips of sports and clubs as well, and then I work with putting the interviews and clips together.”
Since the origins of Mustang Media, Mellon has worked to put together each and every episode. Episode segments vary from interviews, after-school events and sports. Uniquely, Mustang Media is uncensored by administra-
tion, giving them freedom to pick and choose what to cover.
“By not being censored, it allows us to speak about what’s on the student’s mind. If we were censored, then people are going to see this as a teacher production, a principal’s production,” Mellon said. “But it’s the kids that are making a show about the school, clubs and Munster. We are able to really speak our mind on what we want.”
Outside of class, Mellon and seniors Brendan Feeney and Will Hanas record episodes weekly for their sports podcast “Everything Sports but Soccer.”
“I think the benefit of having a podcast is you get to speak your mind, and if people want to agree or not, that’s their call,” Mellon said. “Having three different people gives us multiple different perspectives, and it allows us to talk about what we truly believe in.”
Planting change: Nina Hestjean
Advocating for environmental issues happening, freshman Nina Hestjean uses her voice on social media platforms and in real life. Hestjean has been reposting posts on Instagram stories and has even attended protests. At a clean energy protest at Wicker Park, Hestjean walked around peacefully with others holding posters along with cleaning a park in Hammond too.
“It’s a great way to express my opinions and beliefs and a part of my personality,” Hestjean said. “I would not be as self confident or capable in myself if I didn’t believe in these things. It’s a powerful message that others can learn from as well.”
Her family has been advocates for
the environment too—composting and more ever since she was a little kid.
“My sister is a big inspiration to me right now too. She’s at Rice University in Texas in an ecology major and she wants to go into food science and environmental science,” Hestjean said.
Another part for Hestjean is the volunteer work that she participates in— going to the prairie restoration site to clean up and restore the habitat.
“Earth is our home. I feel this should be important to everyone, because this affects you, your friends and family,” Hestjean said. “Without a healthy environment, we can’t be sustainable. When the environment around you is deadly and toxic that affects you, both mentally and physically and the people that surround you.”
Speaking out: Jordan Fefferman
On the speech team since her freshman year, senior Jordan Fefferman has been competing in Prose and Dramatic interpretation, which focus on interpreting some form of media and informing about a social issue.
This year, Fefferman’s speech is based off of Cyndi Lauper’s memoir and focuses on her advocating for human rights throughout her career.
“Freedom of speech is the foundation of our society and I think it’s something that is a foundation for my personal beliefs because, like Cyndi Lauper, I think everyone should be totally themselves
and be super weird because most people are weirder than they let on,” Fefferman said.
With a lot of time, work and dedication over the past four years, Fefferman looks back and says she would not be where she is without her coach Jordan Mayer, who has given her the opportunity to express herself and use her freedom of speech.
“There’s a lot of value in people who have experiences,” Fefferman said. “Whether it’s someone who has coached speech for 20 years or someone who has been in the government for 20 years, there is value in looking at people who have seen what’s come before.”
“Although
ON THE SPOT Delivering her speech with passion, senior Jordan Fefferman imitates Cyndi Lauper in her adaptation of “Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir.” She performed her speech mid-season. “It starts looking for a book or play to adapt that has a fitting storyline and character, then a lot of showing it to coaches and teammates to get feedback,” Fefferman said.
How do you utilize your freedom of speech?
“ “
“ “
I express
myself with friends. It’s not freedom of speech if you’re not saying what you want to say.”
Elayna Kyriakakis Freshman
In speech, you get to express your true opinions in a different way.”
“ “
I
try to express my own ideas and not conform to what other people say.”
Reese Erlain Sophomore
Jack Sudac Senior
SNAP HAPPY Recording on a GoPro for social media, senior Sam Mellon has recently started a weekly sports podcast. “[Senior] Brendan Feeney and I have been talking about doing a sports podcast forever. We love talking about sports and we just grabbed [senior] Will Hanas and went along with it,” Mellon said. (Photo by Ben Schirz)
LIVE CLEAN Holding a poster, freshman Nina Hestjean poses with the poster she created and used for the Wicker Park clean energy protest.
there were occasional eye rolls or boos, the majority of the traffic was supportive
(Photo by Sophia Rodriguez)
Students discuss multidimensional media censorship
...in our NATION
College campuses and high school classrooms, once the epicenter of exercising freedom of speech and engaging discourse between students, have ul timately been challenged.
A wave of censorship across campuses and classes draws concerns about freedom of speech as federal lawmakers have begun to enact “educational gag orders,” stifling conversational inclusivity in race, gender or sexuality.
“Some universities are fighting hard to maintain their ideas of free thought, free speech and exposure to all ideas,” English teacher Peggy Matanic said. “A lot will depend on exactly what the courts decide, because ultimately, they have the final say in many of these issues. Right now, the courts don’t appear to be siding strictly with one side or the other. Their courts are evaluating cases on a case-by-case basis, which puts us in pretty good shape. Whether or not you agree with them doesn’t matter, but you should at least have the opportunity to evaluate them.”
Educational gag orders and additional restrictions for higher education
What is Indiana’s SB 202?
Indiana’s Senate Bill 202 can restrict what educators include in their curriculum, involving topics of race, gender or sexuality.
...in our BOOKS
More than 10,000 bans in public schools have occurred in the United States as books with LGBTQ+, race and racism, or individuals of color are predominantly targeted. Back in 2023 when Eric Holcomb was the Governor of Indiana, a bill had been signed that allowed both communities and parents to request for certain books to be banned if claimed to be “harmful to minors” or “obscene.” As of 2025 the MHS Media Center has not been affected by bans on any book, keeping books that have been banned in other states.
“It’s important to let every kid know, especially kids in high schools and middle schools that are navigating how to figure out who they are right now, that they are welcome, they are accepted, that who they are is important and they matter,” media secretary Megan Mann said. “If they don’t, they’re going to go out into the world thinking that they don’t and we’re setting them up for failure, and that’s not fair. That’s why I think it’s so important to discuss this.”
When Mann worked at an elementary school, her journey started wanting kids to know that their voices matter. She soon began speaking on the banned books on TikTok to spread awareness to students that the books that they loved and checked out were
If your voice isnt heard, you will ultimately not have the decisions made that you think are correct or right.” Nick Kutkoski
being seen as harmful.
“I didn’t mean to have a banned books account, but it ended up being what the purpose of my account was,” Mann said. “I just wanted to show kids what was out there and show people, if you’re a parent, caregiver, teacher, a librarian, whatever, there’s so many diverse titles out there and there’s a reason why we need to be putting those books in schools.”
Books in the MHS English curriculum have not been affected either. However in other public schools, titles like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Catcher in the Rye” and “Animal Farm” have been affected by the bans.
“We’ve had some parents who might have been objectionable to a book for specific things, but we’ve always been supported by the administration,” English teacher Kelly Barnes said. “If it’s a part of the curriculum, then it’s typically something that we’re able to keep if there’s a literary reason to maintain it.”
If English books were taken into the ban, it could cause complications for teacher’s to find other books with similar literary techniques such as “Catcher in the
“ “
Your ideas are important and should be
heard by everyone.”
Alexander Bonds Sophomore
Books pictured left to right : “Harry Potter: Sorcerer’s Stone,” “All American Boys,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “The Hate U Give,” “The Catcher In The Rye” (Photo by Josephine Zangrilli)
Rye,” with the unreliable first person narrator.
“I think some people think we as teachers are trying to brainwash you or make you believe something, but that’s never our intention,” Barnes said. “We want you to see lots of points of views and I think our job as literature teachers is to create empathy, to help people understand one another and to make those human interactions deeper and more important for everyone.”
“ “
Speaking out for those silenced is a good way to let everyone know what’s going on in the areas that they can’t see anywhere else.”
Marija Pavlic Junior
April 24, 2025
...in our SCHOOL
Whether it be the Mustang Media’d broadcasting of school sports and news coverage, or Crier’s coverage on world topics, the voice of Munster High School has echoed through the workings of publications. One question stands: as the tides of censorship overturn the surrounding nations and districts, what does freedom of speech mean for Munster and its clubs? Principal Morgan Nolan believes it starts with editorial trust in the students.
“This isn’t the strong arm of Mr. Nolan in Mun-
Editor-in-Chief
ster High School to make the newspaper what we want,” principal Nolan said. “It’s not the voice of the principal; it’s the voice of the school and those students who are putting that together and exploring genuine journalism. This is your school.”
The situation of press freedoms on an administrative level is not the very curse of freedom of speech, but rather having the opportunity of a publications platform is a blessing.
“It’s not that rights have been taken away — it’s that the very platform is gone within schools,”
The recipe for a successful publication A supportive principal
A guidance department that keeps newspaper on schedule
former publications adviser Sarah-Anne Lanman said. “In the past decade, the newspaper advertising markets in NWI had the bottom drop out, so high school newspapers that could support themselves stopped being able to, which made programs harder to support. It’s likely that in Munster’s publications right now, because of the support of the school’s admin, there is less self censorship and fear of reprisal than there is in the commercial mass media.”
An adviser knowledgeable of press rights Students who want to establish a newspaper
The United States Palestine Western media outlets filter ProPalestine content by deleting posts and “shadowbanning” users, or limiting the algorithim.
World Press Freedom Index is a numerical digit that ranks 180 countries, reflecting the degree of
“
It
allows us to not live in an echo chamber of ideas and gives us a better perspective of what others believe.”
Aaron Alvarez
no China
“The Great Firewall” is an inititave that filters websites, IP addresses and sensitive keywords to keep foreign media out.
I think it’s really important to be able to express your personal background and culture.”
Genesis Greenwood Senior
by Zoe Clark
Photo
Burning up
Munster students share their “hot takes”
“ “ Mountain
Dew Baja Blast is so horribly overrated and I’m tired of pretending that it’s not.”
Molly Walters Senior
People share too much online
In the past few decades, rapid technological advancements have rendered the internet virtually (pun intended) accessible at all times. It has become intertwined with our everyday lives for better or worse—in this case, worse. My hot take is that people have gotten too comfortable sharing personal information online.
It is true that the internet is a place where people can connect and form relationships with others from all over the world, but it is also a place where everything you do or say is on display. It was once a general rule of thumb that people should remain as anonymous as possible in online spaces. However, things have taken a turn in recent years.
People have grown accustomed to sharing their names, age and other personal information online, including things that are massively triggering to them. This amount of trust in complete strangers makes users extremely vulnera-
“ “
Hot takes aren’t great. How a ‘normal answer’ is defined is a strange thing.”
Tyler Lamarre Freshman
Logan Sargeant wasn’t that bad
Logan Sargeant, at the end of the day, wasn’t a bad driver. While he consistently finished outside the points and crashed many times, he wasn’t that bad. One thing to remember is that Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsports, featuring the 20 best open-wheel racing drivers in the world. If we examine the rest of Sargeant’s career, he achieved many notable accomplishments.
In 2019, at the age of 18, he finished 3rd at the Macau Grand Prix, a notoriously challenging circuit where 7-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton only placed 14th. Additionally, in the 2021 Le Mans Cup Series, he won two out of six races with Iron Lynx.
During his time in Formula One with Williams, Sargeant was dealt a tough hand. He often had fewer upgrades than his teammate Alex Albon, faced constant media pressure to perform better, and lacked support from his team and team principal. But when you consider how tough it is for rookies now, with barely any test-
“ “
If I’m on YouTube or Instagram, I’ll comment on something.”
ing and, for some, jumping straight into one of the most competitive eras of F1, it puts things a bit more in perspective. Sargeant especially had little time to prepare for his rookie season as he was brought onto the team as a late resort as Latifi left. What stood out to me was how he kept his head down and kept pushing. He strove to do his best in each race.
Another thing to consider is that Sargeant managed to bring home points for Williams at the 2023 United States Grand Prix, becoming the first American to score in F1 since Michael Andretti in the 90’s. He also consistently improved his pace over his season and a half, narrowing the gap to Albon in both qualifying and race finishes.
His growth showed potential, even if the final stats didn’t show that. He had moments where his racing talent clearly shone through and clearly was, and I hope still is, passionate about racing, and I hope he receives the second chance in another racing series he deserves.
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I use my freedom of speech to share my opinion on things that need to be talked about more.”
ble. Of course, it is a rather cynical point of view to always expect the worst of people, but one cannot expect every person they interact with to have their best interests at heart.
This level of comfort in online spaces may stem from the connections people form with others, allowing them to form wider and more diverse social circles than they would in-person. These relationships can serve as a form of escapism if they do not have particularly healthy relationships offline. Often this results in a false sense of security online, prompting people to overshare with expectations of having similar positive experiences to those they have had previously. This is not the only viable reason for this phenomenon. People may overshare for a myriad of reasons, even going so far as to expect others to follow in their footsteps, but it is no understatement that oversharing has become far too common online.
“ “
Mint chip ice cream sucks. It tastes like toothpaste.”
Dania Mohammed Senior
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It’s my favorite thing to do. I love chattin’ it up and speaking my mind. I don’t know what I would do if I was mute.”
Nathan Sanchez Sophomore
Roman Lopez Junior
Greg Ramos Senior
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Publications opinions’ about the freedom of speech
“ When you get to talk however you want, whenever you want, and wherever you want.”
Meghan Mulcahy Senior
“ “
“ Freedom of speech through lows me to speak for students and staff who are usual ly left unspoken.”
Emily Dywan Senior
“
I am able to speak my mind, form opin-
Love your country enough to set it right
“
“ To be able to openly express my views without fear.”
John Kullerstrand Junior
Over 2000 years ago, a young Plato, perhaps the world’s first political philosopher, recognized that a healthy polity required a degree of shared values. He developed an idea, central to civic education, that would eventually bear his name: the Platonic Myth. Stories that we tell to celebrate the dispositions we wish to imprint upon our young and build a society around. Platonic Myths can help us develop a version of patriotism that celebrates America as a single, exceptional community.
An award-winning book published in the 1990s by James Loewen entitled “Lies My Teacher Told Me” challenged those
““
“ Freedom of speech to me is speaking your mind.”
of a lazy, deserving, impoverished class. These half-truths and downright lies were common in history books. They helped Americans attempt to develop a shared identity of the melting pot, and glorified the values of patriotism, but they did so with lies.
It’s easy to understand why these Platonic Myths were popularized. They make many people feel good about America… Patriotism enshrined and defined by American exceptionalism, a 1950s “love-it-orleave-it” mantra, can be felt deep within those stories.
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Kennedy Tarver Sophomore
press myself freely and speak my mind about my opinions.”
Evelyn Koncalovic
Let us use our speech to seek out the deeper, more honest, even troubling, multicultural tapestry of history.
However, Loewen’s writings joined and propelled a pedagogical movement that led to more honest appraisals of who we are and how we got here. Those appraisals can be difficult for a nation that wants to believe in Exceptionalism. The progressive-Loewen movement led to multicultural studies that give a more comprehensive look at our history as pluralistic mosaic or salad bowl, expansions at the policy level in affirmative action and DEI programs, attention to social justice and scholarships to right past wrongs and create a more equitable and inclusive nation; the acceptance that we are and can be a broad rich multicultural society; which by the way I would argue is rather exceptional. The Progressive Movement was never completed, but it certainly moved us in a positive direction. Income gaps based on race, ethnicity and gender began to close, and meaningful academic discussion continued to open and trickle into
Which word would you make REDACTED and why?
Like. People use it a lot. Just like, like, like.”
Olivia Ahn Freshman
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our lives and culture. The very halls of power, in both industry and politics, began to slowly look more like the nation of nations that is America.
But currently, we regress as a politically empowered movement, fearing a vague image of woke, which creates a chilling effect on the needed information and discourse that fueled such earlier progressive waves. We now witness publicly induced financial pressure on university curriculum – on Smithsonian institutes – on public sources of information, PBS/NPR - on cultural institutions – a political takeover of the Kennedy Center; and even on the map itself with the un-naming of Mt. Denali and the Gulf of Mexico. We have witnessed the literal erasing of Black Lives Matter from 16th Street in Washington, D.C. More chilling yet, wholesale cutting of foreign aid, deportations without due process, expansion of ICE crackdowns into the sanctuaries of schools and churches, and a blatantly unconstitutional executive order denying natural born citizenry.
While one might see such cleansing of the intellectual pallet as a reinvigoration of a cherished Platonic Myth – modeling Patriotic Exceptionalism. It remains untrue. Let us instead use our speech to rekindle a different form of patriotism; as Benjamin Constant maintained in the resistance to Napoleonic France, “love your country enough to set it right.” Let us use our speech to seek out the deeper, more honest, even troubling, multicultural tapestry of history. Let us avoid a new chapter of lies before they find their way into another generation of history textbooks. The push back must be in honest, reflective, soul-searching speech.
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Hate. Even if you are describing something you don’t like, you can always put it in a nicer fashion.” Jack Morton Junior
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Skibidi. It promotes immaturity and childishness, which is something I feel high schoolers need to let go of.”
Chris Kubisty Senior
Michael Gordon Guest Columnist
Guest Columnist
Victory to a tee Spring takeover
Boys’ varsity golf starts season with a win
Charles Chen Writer
Entering their spring season with a 10-2 record, the boys’ varsity golf team won their opening game at Palmira on April 16 with a team score of 163 against Highland’s 192 and Lake Central’s 165.
This year, the boys are relying on the experience and talent of their senior leaders: Cole Eplawy, Sam Landmesser and Jack Sudac. Paired with head coach Bill Smitka’s veteran coaching skills since taking over in 2009, the boys’ varsity golf team is brimming with leadership and insight.
“Being on the first tee of an important event isn’t like anything else,” Landmesser said. “Your hands are shaking and you can’t feel your body, but you have to use those nerves to put them into the shot you’re about to hit and pull it off anyway.”
Despite being stacked with seniors, the team has also picked up some newer players. The boys meet almost every day at Centennial Park golf course to practice whatever skills they feel are lacking.
“Every kid is different,” Smitka said. “Maybe some
Pitch perfect start
guy struggles with his bunker play, or someone has difficulty with their putting. They might start to work on something specifically individually.”
With this season being many team members’ last season with Munster, they have their own goals and things they’re looking forward to.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with my friends and having a lot of fun this senior season,” Landmesser said.
“I’m really looking forward to developing not only personally, but among the younger players on the team to ensure the future of Munster golf is bright,” Sudac said.
PUTT FOR DOUGH Lining up his ball, senior Sam Landmesser warms up for a conference match against Kankakee Valley at Centennial Park golf course. “I have a big tournament this weekend so I have been coming out here every day to the golf course to practice,” Landmesser said. (Photo by Benjamin Schirz)
Baseball season underway as team takes the field again today
Lexi Villalobos Deadline Manager
Munster’s varsity baseball team played their first at Hammond Bishop Noll in March, pulling the win. Their first game at home against Hobart was on the new turf field after the construction on the baseball field’s started last semester.
“We have to be up on the game and play almost perfectly to get those wins,” senior Tyler Fuller said. “But, we’ve been practicing every day. We haven’t had a day off yet and have been working really hard.”
Through the season, the boys have personal goals set for themselves and as well goals to get on the same page together.
“As a team, we want to make it to sectionals, then regional and win the Region Classic again,
Going live
like we did last year,” senior Mason Jarrett said. “We can get to all those goals by working hard and making sure that everybody does their specific job, and gets everything done the way we need to.”
Along with setting goals for the team, the boys support each other whether it’s during a practice or game. Even with the support, the boys as well spend time outside of baseball to create new memories.
“During spring break, we hung out for four or five days and we’ve made good memories there,” Fuller said. “We’ve been going to our buddy’s house, having a good time watching NCAA, talking and playing darts. That’s the best, just hanging out with them.”
LOCKED IN Staring down the bat ter, senior Tyler Fuller pitched against Highland. The team won 17-6 on April 14. “I was dialed in and trying to throw as many strikes as I can,” Fuller said. “I was really just thinking about my ap proach to getting each batter out.”
BATTER UP In a batting position, se nior Zachary Wright gets ready to hit the ball. Your batting stance is crucial for getting successful, hard hits.
(Photos by Josephine Zangrilli)
Northwest Crossroads Conference prepares to launch NCC Network in 2025-2026 school year
Emma Starkey
Web Designer
Sitting in his office, athletics director Mike Schultz finalizes the last details of the new NCC Network. Set to launch for the next academic year, the NCC Network is a streaming agreement where every match in the Northwest Crossroads Conference umbrella will be televised and uploaded for fans to watch for free.
It’s part of an agreement members of the Conference have with Jet TV and RSN. Prior to the Network, each match could be televised and recorded by a different network, making it difficult for fans to know where to watch a specific match.
“There’s a lot of people in Northwest Indiana that are within the footprint of our conference, that want to watch our games,” Schultz said. “There’s just great competition in our conference down the road, people that are at a restaurant or a bar are gonna be able to see these games on TV. You know, while they’re there, people are gonna be able to view us in their living room.”
Part of the recording technology used by the Network is the Huddle camera system, which Schultz believes will help students display their best moments as a way to demonstrate their skill.
“Huddle records everything, and the kids have access to grab their huddle film,” Schultz said. “They can create highlight reels and send that to college coaches. They can grab a highlight and put it on their social media account. They can put it out there, and the people can celebrate their accomplishments and hopefully get them noticed if they have an interest in playing in college.”
Another major benefit of the Network, according to Schultz, is the revenue sharing agreement. Indiana rule says that Munster Athletics has to maintain a budget separate to the school, and any money they earn is theirs alone. However, the hidden downside to that is the cost of everything.
“[It] costs money to run the conference,” Schultz said. “We have to pay officials. We put on a leadership conference every year. We purchase awards, so
every ribbon, every pin, every plaque, somebody gets for being all conference or being Coach of the Year. It costs a lot of money, and people don’t realize it. That’s why we’re running through the conference. We hope that this helps negate some of that cost.”
The NCC Network, however, was founded upon a revenue sharing agreement where money from every sponsor of the Network is split between all members, with the recruiter getting the biggest cut.
“This is an untapped market, but I do think that we’re going to be able to generate enough that’s going to make a significant impact for our kids,” Schultz said. “I’ve told our own corporate sponsors that we put their signs up on Columbia. We announce them at our games, we put them on social media. We do a lot for them, and all that money comes to us, which is great. We have approximately 700 student athletes and we have over 100 coaches. And that supports anybody that sponsors with the NCC network is, in effect, sponsoring 3000 student athletes and over 600 coaches. And so we talk about real impact.”
Play ball
Emily Dywan Editor-in-Chief
Girls tennis prepares for their match against Highland today
Gabby Van Horne Beat Manager
Senior Claire Han steps up to the serving line, feeling excited, nervous and eager, preparing to begin her solo match.
With a record of 2-1, girls’ tennis has begun their season.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we play with each other, cheering each other on, and working together to achieve our goal,” Han said.
At the beginning of her senior season, senior Isabella Shin remembers her favorite moments of being on the team, such as the Warsaw tournament.
“It was a great, long sweaty day of playing to our fullest potential with all of us cheering for each other,” Shin said.
“We all went home exhausted but proud of our hard work, with every single one of us ending up burnt and looking like
This season, Shin is looking forward to winning more titles while also strengthening their physical and mental strength and their social energy during the season.
“I love the challenge of constantly pushing my limits, building resilience and team camaraderie that tennis helps to develop,” Shin said.
Setting off Making a racket
Munster boys’ volleyball takes off on its spring season
Munster boys’ volleyball warms the court for their home game tonight against Kankakee Valley at 6:30 p.m. So far this season, the team has had two wins against both Crown Point and La Porte. The team has been relentless in their preparation for matches and have been working on boosting team ability and morale.
According to senior Paul Harkenrider, the team has been working on adapting to new strategies. “At our tournament in Lafayette, we switched things up and it worked out well,” Harkenrider said. “We switched one of our outside hitters, [junior] AJ Horin, to play right side, and then switched [junior] Shalin Shah [from] outside to play middle. This helped resolve some of our problems getting stuck in certain rotations and letting the other team get on a run.”
It is the second year since the boys’ volleyball team became official at MHS. Senior Austin Spain, a member of the original group and the captain of the current Munster boys’ volleyball Varsity team, worked alongside four other people to bring the sport inside Munster’s walls.
“I was not a part of the original church group but I was in a club with the original team, with DeAnthony Bowden and Elias Orduno for a couple of years. We would go to the athletics office and try to beg them for a new [boys’ volleyball] team.” Spain said.
Softball prepares for game at Highland tonight
The crack of the bat sounds in the varsity softball team’s spring season since their first game in late March. At a current record of 9-3, the team has a game tonight away at Highland at 5 p.m.
Having been on both varsity and junior varsity her sophomore year, now playing full-time for varsity in the 24-25 season, junior Caroline Sheehan reflects on the shift in the team’s dynamic, having lost three key seniors.
“This season has been different because some of our biggest team leaders graduated last season, so the current seniors filling in that role have been an adjustment,” Sheehan said. “Our performance is still pretty similar. The only main alteration is that now, more players of all grades are stepping up and
leading, which is a positive change.”
With a new set of senior leadership taking the initiative, the team has also focused on fine-tuning its fundamentals. They practice a total of six times a week, from hitting in the batting cages to setting personal goals for mental training. Sophomore Ally Compton values the importance of working out the kinks in order to structure a strong line-up for the season.
“As a team, we have been focusing on getting the little things done,” Compton said. “Whether that’s getting bunts down, working to get the next out, or talking on the field. We have a very talented team, it’s just a matter of tweaking the small things in practice so that it makes a big difference on the field.”
BATTER UP Preparing for the next ball, senior Morgan Kindy watches the pitcher in batting position. At this game against Kankakee Valley, the varsity softball team won with a score of 11-1. (Photo by Evelyn Koncalovic)
Damien Salaieh
UTTER SMACK DOWN Following through on a spike, junior Lincoln Dannis hits the ball over the net through the other team’s blocks. Aiming your spike to pass through the opposing team’s blockers takes practice and skill. “When I see the ball getting received, I line myself up with where the setter is,” Dannis said. “As soon as the ball is out of the setter’s hands I run and jump as hard as i can and slam the ball down.” (Photo by Natasha Nguyen)
GAME FACE On the court with confidence, senior Risha Panigrahi celebrates a point during her match. Panigrahi and freshman Berlyn Compton played as doubles partners and won their match against Crown Point on Apr. 16. “When I win a point, I try to hold onto that feeling,” Panigrahi said. “I get pretty hype and try to transfer that energy to my partner and make them feel seen and I try to harness that energy.” (Photo submitted by Keith Poole)
Prom perfect
Backtalk Prom court
King and queen will be crowned at the dance
Local companies collaborate with MHS students
Throughout the school year, and specifically during prom season, local companies like White Iris and Summergold partner with high schoolers in order to market and advertise their products, whether it’s for dresses, tans or facial services. Seniors Morgan Kin dy and Nadia Pierre-Auguste model for the boutique White Iris in St. John.
“I enjoy working with the other models and devel oping new friendships that I wouldn’t have made if I wasn’t modeling,” Kindy said.
After waking up early to do her hair and makeup, Kindy will head to the boutique to try on the dresses she will wear, and then carpool to the location of the photo shoot before modeling for the rest of the day.
“I mostly enjoy having a filled day and getting away from my normal routine,” Kindy said. “Also try ing on the different dresses is so fun.”
After the photo shoot, the pictures are periodically
posted on the White Iris social media page.
“I model three to four times a year for them. The pictures that are taken are displayed on social media for advertising,” Kindy said.
Modeling provides new opportunities in the modeling world, but also gives the girls opportunities to create new bonds and friendships.
“I enjoy seeing all the different dresses and colors and getting to experience the dance getting ready process with other people I’ve never met, but friends included,” Auguste said.
Junior Mia Pilja has marketed for Summergold and Pink Slip Boutique. In return, she receives discounts on spray tans and dresses when shopping.
“I go to Summergold for a spray tan before any dance or big event. I enjoy talking to all the employees there and it came up for me to model their products,” Pilja said. “I buy most of my dance dresses at Pink Slip. While talking with the girls, they said they enjoy working there, so I sent an email to Pink Slip for a modeling opportunity.”
In high spirits
Take a look at prom spirit from the past week
Q: What is your favorite dance memory?
A:One of my favorite dances was Homecoming 2021. It was outside because of social distancing, but that honestly made it even more fun and unique.
Spirit themes
Monday - Adam Sandler Day/ celebrity day
Tuesday - Earth Day (blue/green)
Wednesday - Duo Day
Thursday - Jersey vs. Jersey Shore
Friday - Barbie and Ken Day
Q: If you ruled the school for a day, what would you do?
A: If I ruled the school for a day, I would bring back field day and have the school divide into different teams.
Brendan Feeney
Q:What does being on prom court mean to you?
A: I’m grateful to be among some of the smartest, kindest, most welcoming people on this court.
Q: If you could pick three artists to perform at prom, who would they be?
A: Amy Winehouse, Blues Traveler and LUCKI.
Luna Gutierrez
Q: What is your favorite dance memory?
A: My favorite dance memory is when I wore this random thing to freshman homecoming. I didn’t know what homecoming was and had only heard that name from the Spider Man movie.
Q: What does being on prom court mean to you?
A: It means so much. Its the fact that I talked about it happening with my close friends, then realizing that people thought of me in that way starting with turnabout court. I’m very happy.
Liliana Rivera
Q: What does being on prom court mean to you?
A: I feel extremely honored that many people considered me to be included in their vote.
Q: If you ruled the school for a day, what would you do?
A: If I ruled the school for the day, I would just send everyone home.
Gabby Van Horne
Q: If you could bring any celebrity to prom, who would it be and why?
A: I would bring Patrick Swayze because he’s a really good dancer and he could do the Dirty Dancing lift with me.
Q: What is your favorite high school dance memory?
A: When my friend Myles Shipps started break dancing in the middle of the circle.
Sam Bleza
Q: If you could bring any celebrity to prom, who would it be and why?
A: I would bring Alex Consani because she’s so iconic and my inspiration. She would make prom so extremely fun and be the life of the party.
Q: If you ruled the school for a day, what would you do?
A: I would make it more like a college where students can leave for lunch and classes are more fluid. You don’t need to stay in the class the whole time.
Vuk Maric
Suvali Giridaran
Ava Adam
Tyler Fuller
Greg Ramos
Gabby Van Horne Beat Manager
STRIKE A POSE Looking away, senior
Sam Bleza poses dresed as The Rock on Monday of spirit week. SHAKE ON IT Seniors Paul Harkenrider and Lucy Salazar shake hands on celebrity/ Adam Sandler day in their AP Literature class.SAVE THE EARTH Posing for the camera, seniors Luna Gutierrez, Alyssa Torres and Charlie Ilijevski stand next to the compost bin at lunch on Tuesday and help students. (Photos by Emily Dywan)
ALL DRESSED UP During prom sea son, stores like White Iris Dress and Peaches Boutique attract MHS stu dents with their bedazzled dresses and popular styles. (Photos submitted by senior Natalie Minyard, junior Elora Bliss, and MHS alumni Alexis Schmidt) GOLDEN HOUR Offering spray tans, red light therapy, waxing, and other beauty services, Summergold is a popular beauty salon in Munster.
(Photos by Josephine Zangrilli)
Jack Foreit
Isaiah Brundige