Teacher Feature:
Since 2009, Paula Swan has been teaching language at Morgan. She’s currently known as the school’s beloved German teacher, but not everyone knows that she actually started her teaching career here as an AP Writing teacher.
After AP, Frau Swan began teaching Speech, then moved on to German. Frau Swan’s passion for German sparked in her high school years.
“I think that I probably would have chosen any language, but it was because of my high school German teacher. The way he taught, and because he knew so much, he opened up the world through German and it drew me in. I just loved it!”
Frau Swan traveled to German in her early 20s to study at the Goethe Institute for language school. She stayed there for around 8 months. Eventually, she began teaching German students English at a university. She traveled back to Indiana because of her husband’s family, then started teaching at Morgan. Frau Swan and her husband still travel to Germany frequently, though.
When asked why she liked teaching a foreign language, Frau Swan said it was due to the interaction with the kids.
“It’s about seeing them grow. The progress they make socially, personally, and in German. I like to have an influence on that,” she said.
As a foreign language teacher, Frau Swan likes to not only teach the language, but also the culture of where it comes from. To her, language and culture go hand in hand.
“When you get to see another culture you get to see what your culture really is and understand what’s really great about it.”
Students love Frau Swan because of her down to earth personality, her fun-loving spirit, and the way she empathizes with students. Frau Swan strives to make her classes about language, culture, awareness of all that the world has to offer, and the endless possibilities in front of students.
Student Feature:
In April of 2008, Ben Savage was adopted from Ethiopia and joined the Morgan Township family. Now a senior at Morgan, Ben is a Cherokee legend. He is one of the best runners Morgan has seen, and recently he placed at Cross Country’s state competition for the second time in his career. Ben began running Cross Country in 6th grade, but it became a serious commitment to him once high school began.
“I was hurt late in the 10th grade, and I was not able to run. That was when I realized that running was more than competing, it was my therapy.”
Ben runs in his free time in addition to competing in Cross Country.
“My favorite thing about running is doing my solo Sunday long run. That is my favorite time of the week, nothing can beat that for me. That is the time the past, present, and future all happen.”
According to Ben, being at state was “for the books.” He said it was very exciting to represent Morgan and compete with state-qualified runners. He revealed it was a bit intimidating at first, but after the gun went off it was like a normal meet, “just a little faster!”
Ben shared that running has taught him a lot.
“It showed me things that I thought were impossible, and most importantly taught me to never give up,” He says that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and that you must be responsible and patient. He encourages people to “run toward your dream, whatever that may be.”
Clubs Begin Holiday Fun:
Two well-developed traditions at Morgan are the German Club’s Oktoberfest dinner, and FACTS’s “Halloween Howl”. This year the two events experienced a spin; they collided. On October 30th, the clubs joined forces to create a fun night for the whole school. German students cooked bratwursts, green beans, sauerkraut, and strudel for families to purchase as dinners.
Generally this event is set up as a takeout dinner, but this time there was an optional “diner” for families to sit down and enjoy their meals. This went hand in hand with the Howl because parents dropping off their children were able to eat their meals while waiting for their children to finish the Howl activities.
The Halloween Howl is a fun night put on for elementary students, typically the day before Halloween. It includes a haunted hallway created by FACTS members and games with various prizes. The night ended up being a great success for both parties.
“Everyone was a little worried if it was going to be too chaotic, but everything ran really smoothly and we all had a great time!” said German Club member, Hannah Hodges.
Next on the to-do list for FACTS is the annual Turkey Bingo. Every November just before Thanksgiving, a Bingo night is held for the school and community to join in on. This November 23rd at 6 o’clock, students, staff, family, and friends will gather for a good old fashioned game of Bingo. The prize for winning? A turkey! If you don’t end up with first place, don’t worry because there will be pumpkin desserts for lower placing winners.
Taking Time to Honor Our Veterans:
For many years now, Student Council has organized a Veteran’s Day assembly to honor those who have served to protect our country. This year’s assembly was exceptionally executed and was viewed by the school as one of the most touching events held. Students gathered in the gym to meet four infinitely brave men who served in wars ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
During the assembly, the men spoke of hard times, happy times, awards, healing, and above all remembering. In addition to that, the high school choir sang the national anthem, and junior, Andrew Walz, played Taps. After the speeches and musical performances, some elementary students were brought to the mic. A contest was held for elementary to write classic or acrostic poems under the theme of Veteran’s Day.
Josie Lemmons, Madeline Keesee, and Greta Pressel read their acrostic poems spelling Freedom. Jacob Weltzin and Gavin Filan also read their acrostics, although theirs spelled out Veteran. Finally, Violet Stewart and Courtney Epler read original poems about veterans, and what it’s like to have a family member in the service. The assembly came to a close with a slide show of various photos commemorating soldiers across the nation.
Even though the gathering was filled with emotion, nothing could top the roar of the crowd in their final applause for the men who generously gave their time for the day, and sacrificed their lives to keep us safe in times of need.