What's recently happened?
In February, the Washington High School (WHS) Medical Magnet program collaborated with Indiana University of South Bend (IUSB) and Gear Up South Bend, a grant program intended to prepare students for college and careers. They joined forces to host the first “I Love Health Sciences'' luncheon, in which students were offered multiple benefits pertaining to their future in the medical field.
Medical Magnet is a program that offers dual-credits for students and prepares them for college and leads to their certification in the medical field. Students receive hands-on experience in healthcare or scientific research. The program provides essential knowledge that will be helpful to students interested in pursuing a medical license.
The luncheon helped give Medical Magnet students a pathway to receiving their medical degree in addition to raising money for scholarships. It was held on February 9 in the IUSB information and administration building. The luncheon started at 11:30 a.m. and ran until 1:00 p.m.
The event gave insight into some of the programs offered to students as well as the partnership between IUSB and WHS. It featured multiple speakers, including medical professionals, the WHS Medical Magnet Coordinator Theresa Godette, Medical Magnet students, and the Dean of Health Sciences at IUSB.
Attendees were also invited on a tour of IUSB's recently developed Dwyer Healthcare Simulation Center following the luncheon. The simulation center is a training facility for nursing and radiography students at IUSB and offers real-world experience along with new technology and more space for students.
The partnership will provide WHS students with many opportunities and valuable information that can be applied to their future in healthcare.
What's coming up?
The Class of 2026 representatives are a small group of sophomores in charge of planning fundraisers, events, and trips for the Class of 2026. The representatives have raised over $1,000 in hopes of taking their classmates to Chicago as an incentive for good behavior and academic performance. This May, students plan to enjoy a trip visiting museums, parks, and restaurants.
The sophomore class representatives include President Samuel Strong and Board Advisors Eric Bailey, Sophia Shaw, Alexis Lekarczyk, Alexandra Brugh, and Jayonna Thomas. Lekarczyk is one of the representatives in charge of planning the trip and has been working on the itinerary that the students will follow.
On Friday, May 24, the trip to Chicago will be made via bus. The students will ride a “hop on, hop off” tour throughout the city, visiting major landmarks and spending time around some of the local amenities. The students plan to begin the tour at 11:00 a.m. and end around 4:00 p.m.
Some of the possible stops along the tour include the Navy Pier, the Hard Rock Cafe, the Willis Tower, and multiple popular parks such as Grant Park and Millenium Park. Students who are eligible to attend the trip are required to have at least a 3.0 grade point average, a 75% attendance rate, and no suspensions.
Last year in May, the Class of 2026 took a much smaller trip to a South Bend Cubs baseball game. The trip was inexpensive compared to this year's planned activities, so representatives are working hard to raise money and meet the expenses. They regularly work WHS concession stands and hold fundraisers and food sales.
Staff spotlight:
Jane Bentkowski has been with the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) for 19 years and has been a teacher for 43. She has spent nine of those years at WHS. Bentkowski is in charge of the library but has a plethora of other responsibilities as well and contributes to multiple organizations within the community.
She was born in South Bend and attended Saint Mary's College for elementary education with an endorsement in math. She later went to IUSB and received her master's in special education before going to Indiana State University in Terre Haute and receiving her library science degree.
Bentkowski worked at Brown Middle School for 10 years, only leaving a year before the school closed when the position of librarian opened up at WHS. Unfortunately, even though she loves WHS, Bentkowski plans to retire this June.
“I've been here for nine years, and it feels like I've died and gone to heaven,” Bentkowski said. “I love it here; I'm really sad I'm retiring.”
In her free time, Bentkowski loves going on cruises, and this year she plans to go to Disney with her family. In addition, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and has frequently attended sports at WHS with her husband. Bentkowski is creative and enjoys crafts like embroidery, sewing, and making shirts.
Bentkowski has many responsibilities at WHS. She is in charge of organizing Student of the Month awards, does SAT testing and make-up tests, and keeps stock of the school yearbooks. She is also working with Project Excel, an organization for students excelling in school, as well as being in charge of the Latino Student Union.
The union received a grant from McDonald’s this year that helped to incorporate a career class for students every Friday that offers experience in service-oriented businesses. Students learn about money skills, stocking shelves, purchasing, and any skills they might need for a customer service job in the future. Bentkowski frequently holds lunch sales and fundraisers to raise money.
She has been with the SBCSC for a long time and has enjoyed watching many students grow. WHS as a community will be sad to see her leave in June, but many students and staff are thankful for her and all of her contributions to the school. Her favorite part about working at WHS is the staff.
“I always feel like I was welcomed from day one,” Bentkowski said. “I met a couple of people who have retired or gone to different schools, but I felt like they just embraced me from day one. I felt like I was home.”
Student spotlight:
Elijah Gorski is a senior at WHS and is avidly involved in his class activities. He works with multiple groups to make a difference within the community while making time for himself and his friends. He also is a highly accomplished student-athlete.
Gorski takes part in WHS student government as president's advisor. His job includes assisting with planning fundraisers, trips, and events for his class. He is also a member of the national honor society and maintains a high grade point average.
In terms of school athletics, Gorksi involves himself with football and baseball. He has won MVP for baseball, as well as academic MVP for football. In addition, he has received the Kiwanis Athletic Award which recognizes qualities of teamwork and athletic ability, as well as the acclaimed Jackie Robinson Award for baseball.
The senior is in his second year of a Notre Dame-based internship called Research Cures Cancer, where he does biochemistry research throughout the year. He has taken his cancer research to science fairs where he made it to the state level, and he plans to take his research to the science fair again this year.
In his free time, Gorksi likes to listen to music and play video games like “Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege” and “Elden Ring.” His favorite thing to do when he has time is to hang out with friends. He and his friends enjoy cooking together, which he says is a very nice and underrated experience.
He plans to go to college but is not sure of which one. His top four include the University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As for his current goals, he plans to keep working hard and find out more about his interests and plans.
“My biggest goal right now is to find more that I'm interested in and pursue that.” Gorski said, “I've got a good support system as far as finding out more things to do down the line. As of right now, I’ll just keep a good grade point average and figure out what I want to do.”
He appreciates the students and staff who have helped him along the way.
“Most of the things I’ve accomplished as a student here is because of the teachers and students around me,” Gorski said. “All the support I've received from Jillian Connolly, Darin Roodman, and my guidance counselor, Arnez Lee, has been a really big help in making me into who I am today.”