What’s recently happened?
Portage High School (PHS) has moved into its spring sport season which means it’s almost time for baseball. Boys Baseball preseason workouts have begun, and with new talent comes a new team.
This season, a baseball class is offered at the end of the day to start practice early. With an extra 45 minutes of practice, the team has more time to condition and hit the batting cages. Coach Shane Prance is hopeful that this extra time translates on the field.
“Preseason has been fantastic,” said Prance. “Every guy has been showing up consistently and really working hard and making a lot of improvements. If our preseason is a foreshadowing of how our season is going to go, then I think we are going to have a good season.”
The goal as always is to have a winning season, but this year in particular it is important to improve in all ways, and of course, win over half the almost 30 games. Last season, the team was not able to win over half, but there are high hopes for this season.
“Over .500 is always the goal,” said Prance. “Realistically, I want to win more than half our games and be playing our best baseball at the end of the year.”
The home opener is on March 27 where the Indians will take on Boone Grove High School.
What’s coming up?
Spring break is approaching rapidly with the beginning of the break on March 25 going all the way to March 29, with students back in the building on April 1. With all this time off, it makes one wonder what some students and faculty will be doing.
Superintendent Dr. Amanda Alaniz is taking this time to visit her family out west. While on break, she hopes that all district members can still find new ways to make learning happen.
“For spring break, I have just one wish for students and staff alike: I hope everyone takes time to find some joy by reconnecting with something they are passionate about,” said Alaniz. “It’s a time to rejuvenate, relax, and reflect so that everyone can come back recharged for the final stretch. For spring break, we will be visiting family in Arizona. Mr. Alaniz has two siblings that reside in Phoenix, and I can’t wait to see my nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews! I am going to challenge myself to read another Colleen Hoover book, hike a small mountain, and reconnect with our family after not seeing them for quite awhile.”
Some students are taking road trips to get away from school. PHS Senior Abbi Jablosnki is headed to Wisconsin Dells for a relaxing time.
“I am only going for a couple days,” said Jablonski. “For the rest of spring break, I am planning to deep clean and rearrange my room.”
Senior Mila Menchaca is excited to have a special experience in Indianapolis with her mom and step-dad.
“We're going to stay in a hotel that’s actually attached to the mall, and I’m excited!” Menchaca said. “We’re also going to the famous restaurant called Cake Bake.”
When the district returns to school on April 1, there will only be 40 school days remaining until the end of the year.
Staff spotlight:
Sarah Cohen is a fan favorite teacher throughout PHS. Her kind heart and easy-to-understand teaching techniques makes a difficult subject like math seem easy. Her journey to returning to PHS is a 17 year adventure, and students who take her class are lucky to have her.
After graduating from PHS, Cohen attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College for her degrees in mathematics and computer information systems, then later on, she returned for her secondary education mathematics degree. Before she moved back to the district, Cohen spent 12 years at Griffith High School. She claims that she got into education as a favor for the assistant principal who lost a math teacher due to medical leave. Ever since she got the job, Cohen has been teaching.
“The best part about being a teacher is getting to meet all of my students over the years,” said Cohen. “Without being a teacher, I would know 3,060 (give or take) less people. That does not include all the awesome educators who I have gotten to work with and now call my friends.”
Cohen’s sense of humor always makes her class burst out laughing according to her students. Cohen considers herself a “teach the material and have generic conversations with students” teacher, but she does get help on how to be funny from her sister, Jessi. Regardless, Cohen is the smiling face that kids have the pleasure of witnessing every day.
“A former administrator told me that I may be the only smile a student may see that day,” Cohen said. “That has stayed with me for 17 years. When I am at school, I am Ms. Cohen. Sarah Cohen does not exist from the time I enter the building until I leave.”
Cohen teaches all grades but mostly teaches freshmen. Her secret to keeping them in check is respect. Every day before class begins, Cohen lists out her expectations from her students and what they should expect from her. She is also very upfront about describing how lessons will be laid out so students can prepare for the work ahead. By doing this, Cohen can make those instant, positive connections with students.
“During my interview at PHS, I was asked what is more important, content or connections,” Cohen said. “I explained to the panel that without connections with the students my content means nothing. I hope my students learned that I was invested in them as people as much as I was invested in them as students.”
When she finishes up her day, Cohen enjoys time with family and friends, whether that be playing trivia at Quaker Steak & Lube or binge watching Hallmark movies. Cohen likes to live by a quote from Mr. Feeney from “Boy Meets World:” “Dream. Try. Do good.”
Student spotlight:
Aidan Lineberry is changing up the game of journalism and films at PHS, and there’s nothing stopping him. From his “INTERNET CULTURE with AIDAN LINEBERRY” segments on Indian’s News Network (INN) to his perfect attention to detail in Photoshop, Lineberry has all the skills to go far.
Lineberry’s interests in film began seven years ago when he uploaded a “Minecraft” minigame video he edited in Windows Movie Maker. This recent summer has also been really inspirational for him after he spent one week with no phone to relearn 3D animation. Lineberry emphasizes that a good journalist needs to read design books to gain as much knowledge on design as possible.
“Read a design book or an art history book and learn how to make things really pretty and cute and cool,” said Lineberry. “Hopefully interesting subject matter and the highest quality stories make you the highest quality artist. This requires effort.”
Because he never stops working to become the most amazing journalist possible, Lineberry takes time during school to partake in a communications and marketing internship with Director of Communications Melissa Deavers-Lowie. Here, Lineberry is tasked with designing graphics and practicing his Photoshop skills.
“Man, has that internship put my Photoshop skills to the test,” said Lineberry. “Making posters for one project, I actually had to install and create a vector graphic in Adobe Illustrator. I feel 'at home’ in Photoshop. I can lay out a design confidently, though Premiere is where I get the most work done.”
You can check out more of Lineberry’s work on INN soon where he’ll be digging into a local case from the 1990s. In the future, perhaps we’ll see Lineberry creating content at the Media School at Indiana University.