What’s recently happened?
On February 24, the African Student Association (ASA) put on a fake African wedding in honor of Black History Month to portray African and African American culture. The board members, Marfowaa Antwi, Taylor Warbington, Kayla Douglas, and Lois Carr, were all very excited to put this event on for the whole South Bend community.
“I started ASA by looking at different ASAs at high schools and universities. I felt like it was time for John Adams High School to have a safe space for Africans and African Americans,” Antwi said.
Additionally on February 24, the John Adams Jazz One band performed at the Morris Performing Arts Center alongside professional musician Paul Taylor. Performing during intermission, the band also got to play two pieces with Taylor: “Prohibito” and “Over the Rainbow.” Given the opportunity to meet and talk with Taylor before the performance, members of the band all felt very inspired and further informed on what it means to be a young musician.
“It was an honor not only getting to play for the crowd as they found their seats but having the opportunity to perform two pieces with Paul Taylor himself,” said Senior Audrey Martin.
What’s coming up?
With both the end of the third quarter and Spring Break right around the corner, the eagerness to finish out the year is displayed throughout the halls. The International Student Association is putting on a Culture Night at John Adams. On March 17 in the auditorium and cafeteria, the club will provide food, music, cultural dances, and put on its very own fashion show displaying styles from many different cultures. Tickets are $3, and admission is open to the St. Joseph community as a whole.
Additionally, the Spanish Club and Spanish Honor Society will put on its annual dance, Sabor Latino. The theme for this year's dance is “Music: the Universal Language” (Ritmo Universal) and will be held in the school cafeteria on April 14.
“This year, we have a lot of creative people putting it on. Cecilia Stanton-Verduzco and the officers are working really hard to get great music, make shirts to sell, etc. The decor is going to slay. I really hope to see an even bigger turnout this year, especially after COVID-19,” Senior Officer Kinsey Temple said.
Staff spotlight:
John Adams Student Teacher Genevieve Coleman was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. Dedicating her time to the English 12 and school newspaper courses, Coleman is also a full-time student and editor for the Saint Mary’s College paper, “The Observer.” Attending St. Joseph High School, the wonderful community, and the city give light to her future goals, convincing her to stay local.
Though not entirely having the freedom to choose a high school to student-teach at, Coleman was happy to be placed at John Adams due to the school philosophy: educating students from a global perspective, creating and emphasizing global learners through the International Baccalaureate program.
“Even though I had not completed a field of experience at Adams before, I was still incredibly excited to be placed there. I only have positive things to say about the time I’ve had so far with my students,” Coleman said.
Joining “The Observer” during her second semester of freshman year, the time spent and relationships formed contributed to much of her life and future plans.
“I really fell in love with it very quickly because I had amazing editors who would always push me to be a better writer, to be a better journalist,” Coleman said.
Before coming to college, Coleman already had in mind what she wanted to study. Receiving a scholarship from the state of Indiana, she was able to finance her studies in secondary education. Recalling the amazing support and love she received from English teachers in high school, Coleman knew that's who and what she wanted to become as an adult.
“I really wanted to be the kind of person where people would enjoy coming to my class like I enjoyed going to my English teachers’ classes,” Coleman said.
The most prominent person that influenced Coleman to be a teacher is her mom. As a teacher for over 30 years, that's all Coleman ever saw.
“She and my dad taught me to read very early, so once I got to kindergarten, I was reading chapter books and everyone else in the class was reading picture books,” Coleman said.
Short term goals of Coleman’s are to get a full-time job. She expressed how she wants to stay at John Adams because the local St. Joseph community is what she knows best. This goal is one she hopes to accomplish in the next three-five years.
“I would love the opportunity to continue leading a student journalism program. It has been such a unique and amazing part of my student-teaching experience,” Coleman said.
As a journalist, her goal is to write freelance somewhere to still use those talents.
“I might eventually decide to go back to school and become a professor. I’m not sure about that yet,” Coleman said.
Student spotlight:
An avid member of John Adams is Senior Kinsey Temple. Through her tedious efforts to the many clubs she partakes in, Temple continues to shine academically, taking both International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. As a member of John Adams Volunteer Association and the Student Advocates for IB Diversity, Temple also takes on major roles in other clubs: co-president of Art Club, editor for the Yearbook, and officer of Spanish Honor Society.
“Yearbook would probably be my favorite because I’m able to use my creativity and thrive with it,” Temple said.
Advice Temple would give to underclassmen would be to step outside their comfort zones. She notes that it is important to meet new people and make their high school experience the best it can be.
A huge memory that has stuck with Temple is raising over $700 for the Art Club at the St. Joseph annual Art Beat event in downtown South Bend.
Though her future plans are not finalized, Temple is considering graphic design, English, or marketing as a future career path. In her decision between Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Notre Dame, Temple notes that she wants to remain close to family; as a triplet, that is very important to her.