Native American Heritage Month

November has been the official month for the celebration of Native Americans since 1994 when President Bill Clinton made the declaration.  During the month of November Messmer High School provided a wide range of events. These events included making dream catchers, raising money at lunchtime for an organization that supports Native Americans, and saying traditional Native prayers in the morning announcements. 

This was the very first time Messmer celebrated Native American Month. It gave Native American students the opportunity to connect with their culture inside their very own school, and raised awareness of the culture for the other students. Some teachers also connected to the celebration as well. According to Social Studies Teacher Ms. Anna Luberda, “This Native American month was a good effort for the first time and if they get more people involved next year it will be even better. Also I was adopted in the Crow tribe because I used to live on an Indian Reservation.” She also said, “I liked the announcements because they captured the Native American spirituality.” 

Mr. Jack Hauser, Family Ministry and Theology, volunteered to be the head of the first celebration of Native American Month.  His thoughts were, “I have a great interest in all cultures and think as a school we should continue to grow in our understanding and appreciation of all people. Messmer has a done a great job with both Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month over the years and it is good to continue to grow them both and add other ethnicities and cultures.” 

The Native American Month celebration was an all around nice way for all students to experience a new culture besides their own, and for other students who are Native American the ability to feel more connected.

--Contributed by junior Dominique Steed and senior Neena Mathews

Musical Help

Messmer High School provides private music instructors as part of the music department. Their jobs are to help younger students learn to play an instrument or enhance their vocal skills. 

Music Teacher Mr. Greg Flattery said, “I have gathered up undergraduate and graduate students from UWM who all wanted to get more experience with students, one on one, and they all were interested in coming in and giving students lessons.” Mr. Tyler Williams, one of the private music instructors, has been singing his entire life and has played the violin for six years. Once when he was a child, he even played in an orchestra. When asked of the benefits of younger kids learning music, he said, ”Learning to play an instrument or learning to sing helps us let out our own creativity and artistry; it makes us happy.” 

Mr. Williams also said, “My favorite thing about helping students learn music is I get to help all of these students to sing and understand music on a deeper level. Music is something we can use our entire lives and we can share it with other people, too.”

Another musical specialist who likes to help teach the art of music is Ms. Elizabeth Ramirez. She has been playing the clarinet for thirteen years now. She says, “The benefits of younger people learning to play instruments are endless, but if I have to narrow them down, the arts and music definitely provide personal growth, confidence, well rounded individuals, and joy.” 

There are challenges as well. Ms. Ramirez said, ”The most challenging part of teaching students would be finding that something that will get that student interested and excited in music.” Mr. Flattery added, “Students receive a tutoring atmosphere that promotes focus and gives them access of a music professional who is able to help them with musical things from care, handling, and playing of their chosen instrument to understanding musical theory.”

The students love to have the music instructors around to help. Sophomore Khalil Todd, learning the bass drum, said, “The music instructors helped me develop my percussion skills, and now I can play some rhythms more easily.”

--Contributed by sophomore Cylus Hunter

Lady Bishops Step Up to the Line

So far in the season the girl’s Varsity Basketball team’s record is 0-6, but that does not reflect the improvements the team is making as they build a squad of many players new to the game or the team.

In their first game against The Heritage Christian Patriots, the Lady Bishops took a devastating loss of 82-21. As the first game with a new head coach and new team, the team was just trying to gel to get going. Guard freshman Bresha Trotter and guard/forward senior Taylor Sims each put up seven points in the loss. The team had many turnovers and twenty fouls, which is really what caused the defeat.

In addition to the game against Heritage Christian, Coaches Jim Krolikowski and Jessica Piasecki showed some frustration in a recent loss 43-33 against the visiting Brookfield Academy, with their team having a number of turnovers. Senior guard/forward Taylor Sims led the scoring for a total fifteen points. In the second half of the game, Taylor suffered from a painful charley horse and did not play for the rest of the game. Forward sophomore Kayla Johnson led the team in rebounds for the game with eight. She averages eight rebounds a game. Both Kayla and Taylor are starting the season off strong; their performances are what helped narrow the deficit down to ten in the loss.

Coach Piasecki said, "Some challenges we have to overcome as a team are learning to play together and play with some heart. It's hard coming into this season with a lot of girls having this be their first time playing basketball and teaching them the basics of basketball. We as a team need better effort and play with more intensity." 

The closest contest so far, was a recent game against Hope Christian School with a final score of 40-35.  The coaches and players are encouraged by the progress being made by this young team. The important thing is that they grow as individuals and as a team. 

According to Coach Piasecki, "What sets Basketball apart from all other sports is that it is an opportunity for girls to help build their sportsmanship and leader qualities, and to help build up on teamwork." 

--Contributed by senior Jaron Carter and sophomore Cylus Hunter

Taking the Subway to Success

The fall production Subway Circus was excellent this year. The play had a big turnout as many parents, family, and friends came to see the show. Director Mr. Greg Flattery said it was, “55 minutes of controlled chaos.” 

The play was a synopsis of what goes through people’s minds on the subway. The play could be silly and funny at one moment, then serious and heart touching the next. Actors in the play described this play as a great way for them get together and have fun, while doing theirs jobs.

The whole cast and crew felt that their relationships with each other grew through the play and the rehearsals. Before the play started on Friday November 16, the cast and crew joined in prayer. Then Mr. Flattery gave a few words of encouragement. After that the actors separated and danced, sang, or did whatever they could to get rid of their “butterflies.” After all the laughing and fun times backstage, the play was ready to begin.

The play started out with just a bench onstage and nothing else. The actors set the scene by walking back and forth making the stage look like a busy subway station. The play started out with random people conversing and having a good time. This scene really gave audience members a feel for the subway. The setting, lights, and transitions made the play feel like it was in a vivid dream.

Subway Circus also tackled hard issues like the rise of social media, religion, the portrayal of stars, and education. There were also themes of love, charity, and humbleness. Junior Ishmael Ali, who played several parts in the play, said that it was, "... a life changing experience. I learned how to cooperate with others in a positive way. I also learned how to ‘go with the flow’. I say this because I had to fill in a huge role of an actor who did not show up one night of the play.” 

However, Junior Michaun Cobb said that some things could have been improved such as "...some of our cues, and communication." The stage crew really did do a great job creating the atmosphere and making the play run well. Behind the scenes before and after the show, a person could really tell that the crew had a good time. 

Because of the success of this show, students and teachers can’t wait to see the next year's play, and the Broadcast Media class will be there to report it.

--Contributed by junior Jordan Taylor and sophomore Larry Elim, Jr. 

 

Portfolio Papers Due January 11th!

According to English Department Chair Mr. Timothy Gallagher, “Portfolios are repositories for student writing collected every semester by English teachers.”

Each teacher, regardless of subject area, assigns a portfolio-worthy paper every quarter. The papers need to be a minimum of 250 words, typed, in formal Messmer formatting, and the student must have received a C or better on it. The portfolio counts for 10% of the English final semester grade. 100% is 5 papers, 80% for 4 papers, and so on.

Teachers and staff will constantly remind students to turn in papers with an attached Honesty Contract  assuring that it is original work. These contracts are signed by the student as well as the teacher, who adds the paper's grade and submits it for the portfolio.

When students reach their senior year, they will receive their papers back and should be able to see how their writing improved over four years.  When out of school, students will decide on what they will do with their papers. 

In English classes, students appreciate the portfolios which gives them a chance to improve their writing as well as their grades in English. With this in mind, the first semester portfolio deadline is January 11^th.

--Contributed by junior Michaun Cobb 

 

3 on 3 BB

This year Messmer High School had a very successful 3 on 3 boy's basketball tournament. Vice Principal Mr. Geoffrey Kaiser stated, “Over 50 students came to the gymnasium in a single-elimination tournament with pride and team points on the line.  I give a lot of credit to those individuals that did compete because they put their basketball reputations on the line and played in the name of their grade.”  

Students of all grade levels were able to sign up and compete against other teams in the tournament. For the tournament, students were allowed to choose the members of their own team. The catch to this was that if any team lost a game, they would no longer be able to compete. Therefore, a team would have to win every game that they played to win the championship. 

However, from the enthusiastic expressions of all the students, it was obvious that the players really enjoyed competing in the tournament. Junior Jackson Huff said, “It was very fun playing against other teams and pushing each others’ skills to the limit.”

After many hard fought games, a team of sophomores emerged victorious. This team consisted of Deonte Newsome, Raymund Pierce, and Dallas Polk. These three sophomores set out to show the upperclassmen that their skills could not be denied. Along with this, they also showed great sportsmanship and maturity after winning the championship game. 

--Contributed by junior Jekim Jones

Messmer Day at Marquette

This year the Broadcast Media, Drama and Oral Communications classes took a field trip to Marquette University. There the students explored some of Marquette’s courses and and learned a little more about how things work in college.

Ms. Rose Richard, Messmer's Academic Support Coordinator who planned the event said, “The purpose of Messmer Day is to introduce students to the Diederich College of Communications so that they can envision themselves on that campus, by participating in the very activities offered in the workshops.” And the students did just that, rotating between three different courses and interacting with Marquette students.

The students got a chance to work in the broadcasting studio and get a hands-on look on how things are done. Sophomore Keandrea Lewis said "Going into the studio was an amazing opportunity for me because, as a Broadcast Media student, it gives me a better understanding of what broadcasting is all about, and what other elements contribute to it." Agreeing with her, sophomore Cylus Hunter said “[Working in the studio] was an opportunity I never thought I would have.” 

The students enthusiastically joined in the workshop activities even though they had not had those experiences before. The other two rotations were Drama, where the students played improvisation games, and Print Journalism.

Along with rotations students got a chance to ask great questions, particularly of the Marquette student panel and the EOP staff. Then they caught up with Messmer alums who attend Marquette, and asked questions about college life and the good and bad things that come along with it. Ms. Richard said, “My favorite part of the day was the student panel. Students spoke of how they adjusted to life on campus, their classes, and their activities.”

Thank you Marquette for giving Messmer students a good taste of college life and the communications department. 

--Contributed by sophomore Ramanda Davis