What’s recently happened?
A lot has been going on throughout April for the students at John Adams High School. After the spring break, where many students travelled to places like Florida or Mexico, students are back on the school grind.
The music department participated in the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Festival. Both the band and orchestra performed, earning gold and above. The orchestra reached gold with distinction – the highest mark available. The ISSMA Festival consists of a performance of however many songs a group is willing to perform, followed by a performance of sight reading in a separate room.
The University of Notre Dame hosted a field trip for the physics department at John Adams for students to come and view the many machines. Notre Dame taught the students about particle acceleration and how it is utilized to test different materials.
The John Adams Theatre Department put on the play called “Mrs. Nelson Is Missing” over the weekend of April 25. They put on three performances, one on Friday and two on Saturday.
What’s coming up?
School is coming to a close as finals and International Baccalaureate (IB) testing approaches. Even though many academic pressures are present, the school is trying its best to host many fun events for seniors and other students.
On May 1, John Adams will celebrate decision day for seniors. There will be a Pep Rally to celebrate all the graduating seniors and what they are deciding to do after high school. Another event that will be continuing in May is the Senior Assassin, where all seniors who want to participate have to shoot their targets with water guns outside of school and work. Senior skip day and the senior prank are all expected to take place later in the month.
Prom is coming up on May 17, 2025. This year's Prom will be hosted at the Century Center. Many people are buzzing with excitement sharing their Prom outfits and plans.
On May 3-4, the National Honor Society (NHS) is having its chilli-pie fundraiser and Big Band Bash. The chilli-pie fundraiser is an event that the NHS is throwing to raise money for various things.
NHS is going to have many different activities to do at the event such as pie throwing, escape rooms, silent auctions, a ‘thrift store’ and many other fun things for just a $5 entry. Big Band Bash, on the other hand, is an event to showcase many music departments across the school system. There will be an art showcase as well for people to look at while middle school and high school bands perform.
Staff spotlight:
Nicholas Leatherman is currently a Psychology, Sociology, IB Psychology, and partial World History teacher at John Adams. Leatherman also used to teach Ethnic Studies, U.S. History, Health, and Geography.
Leatherman, despite having so many students, keeps track of all of them and is kind to them even after they leave his class. Some people who haven’t become his student yet, he is kind to them.
“I had a former student email me thanking me for all the help and support over the years. She is finishing her Bachelors in Social Work and will be starting her grad program this summer. She will be working in a neuropsychology facility as well,” Leatherman said.
In his classes right now, his students are starting to prepare for the final exams as it rapidly approaches. In sociology, they are working on inequalities in society and how they affect the individuals including things like racism, sexism and classism. In IB Psychology, students are working on human relationships and preparing for the upcoming IB exam. In World History, the students are working on European history from the middle ages.
Outside of school, Leatherman plays in a band as a way to express his creative side.
“I play guitar, bass, and little drums,” Leatherman said. “This summer I will go on a short tour with one of my bands.”
Student spotlight:
Tess Brener is a junior at John Adams, and a staple in many different clubs and extracurricular activities including marching band, robotics and Pride.
In marching band, Brener is a part of Color Guard, putting on shows and parades as well as competing in local and state competitions.
“We show school spirit by participating in parades and putting on shows,” Brener said.
Brener is the vice president of the John Adams Robotics Team and competed in FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST is a global competition where teams compete and work together to try and create new and improved technology all the while having fun and making friends. On top of that, Brener helps make the pride club a welcoming place.
“In Pride Club, we build community and educate on LGBTQ+ related issues, along with discussing relevant politics and news,” Brener said.
Other than extracurricular activities, Brener’s schedule is pretty full with four IB classes, Spanish 6, Precalculus and Theory of Knowledge (TOK). She works very hard and is known to be a great friend to their peers.
Brener wants to go to college for psychology and art, but also possibly wants to delve into the study of marine sciences.