#1StudentNWI: Westville Highlights Careers, Halloween, and Libraries

#1StudentNWI: Westville Highlights Careers, Halloween, and Libraries

Trick or Treat Around the Track

On October 27th, Westville High School’s Athletic Council put on their third annual Trick or Treat Around the Track. The evening was packed with fun from beginning to end. Walking onto the track, students, parents, and community members were greeted by the many Athletic Council members dressed up in their weird and wacky costumes. Some of the school’s faculty were there dressed up in their Halloween best as well. The Westville Fire Department even came to support and help out throughout the night.

Fun activities, games, and of course, candy were placed all around the track for the trick or treaters to enjoy. From basketball to tic-tac-toe, the event had it all including a dunk tank where students could try to dunk the school’s resource officer, Officer Lanoue. Along with the many games, there was also music, provided by a DJ, a face painting booth put on by the school’s art club, a fifty/fifty raffle, and an assortment of food trucks. By the end of the night, everyone left with a smile on their face and their belly full of candy.

In conclusion,the event was a great way to bring the school and community together to celebrate Halloween. It was a wonderful and fun event that will hopefully continue to grow every year.

Career Fair

On November 28th, Westville Schools in partnership with LaPorte County Career and Technical Education, will be holding their first annual Career Fair. The fair will be open to all 6th through 8th grade students from Westville, South Central, and Wanatah for specific times throughout the school day. During their time at the fair, students will have the opportunity to explore the many different career based courses that will be available to them upon entering high school.

What better way to do this than have some of the current high school students share how they are taking advantage of their opportunities?

Each booth and display at the event will be created by high school students who are currently in a career based program. There will be over fourteen programs highlighted in the event including cosmetology, welding, culinary arts, and medical science. The students attending the event will be able to tour the fair and visit the stations that interest them while filling out a worksheet to help guide them through the many different displays.

Overall, the goal of the event is to expose students to their different career options and help them evaluate the many paths that lead to employment. With over 500 students in attendance, it guarantees to be a very informational, exciting and beneficial event.

Student Spotlight: Dakota Diederich

Senior Dakota Diederich has gone to Westville since kindergarten. When asked what his favorite part about attending Westville was, he said, “I like how small the school is because I can have one-on-one time with my teachers.”

Dakota is a very involved student at the school and is an active participant in NHS, DECA, Leo Club, and Athletic Council. Dakota is also a recognized athlete at the school. He just finished up his final soccer season and will soon be starting his last year of basketball at Westville. When Dakota isn’t spending his time on one of his many extracurricular activities, he can most likely be found working, hanging out with his friends, or playing his Xbox.

As a senior, Dakota is looking forward to many things, but most of all he is anxiously awaiting graduation.

He said, “I am most excited to graduate because this will open a new chapter in my life and I am ready for it!”

In anticipation for his future, Dakota has started making plans for college and hopes to attend Valparaiso University or Purdue University Northwest for sports marketing and financial planning. He feels drawn to those fields because he loves sports and is good with numbers. Dakota is a very well rounded student and is on the right track to accomplishing great things.

Teacher Spotlight: Ms.Rempala

Ms. Rempala has been the library media specialist for Westville schools for twelve years and counting.

Her favorite thing about being a librarian encompasses the constant change and flow of her work.

“It is a different job everyday,” She said, “One day I might be teaching a lesson on APA citation to high school PLTW students. Another day I could be working with 4th graders on note taking and using credible sources for their Famous Hoosier projects.”

She also enjoys being able to interact with students from all grade levels for many different types of activities.

Before coming to Westville, Ms. Rempala taught 8th grade at a middle school in Lawrence Township in Indianapolis. She got her bachelor of science degree in English Education from Ball State University and continued her education to get her master’s degree in Library Science from Indiana University. Interestingly, she took all of her classes online and never even went to the IU campus.

Since starting at Westville, Ms. Rempala has helped organize and sponsor many clubs at the school including the Westville Reads Book Club, Battle of the Books, and Makers Club. She is also an assistant coach for the school’s Science Olympiad team and the Varsity Track and Field team. When Ms.Rempala is not spending time at the school, she enjoys reading, hiking, and running. She also is an extremely avid traveler and has been to 13 countries, her favorite being Italy, and 25 states. With all of her many unique qualities and attributes, Ms. Rempala has brings so much to Westville and she is truly appreciated by the whole school.