Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2007, Page 15

Description:	anthers: Past and PresentConnections to the VastStory By Hayley SchillingWhats your connection? For some, it is Panther Pride for years of athletic and academicsuccess. For others, it is a continued family legacy. Often, it is simply a chance to reconnect with aplace that is home to memorable life experiences. Whatever the reason, many alumni, teachers, andstaff have maintained, or renewed, their connection to the school over the years.Considered the most feared man at Bloomington South by some, assistant principal Mr. JayTrue began his connection as a Panther fan. I grew up in Bloomington attending Bloomington HighSchool sporting events, dreaming of the day I would have the opportunity to play for the Panthers.By the time True finished his high school career in 77, he had racked up an impressive academic andathletic resume as a member of the basketball, football and baseball teams. Speaking from experience,True feels there is a special quality of community at South, saying, In order to fully appreciate this, youwould have to move away from Bloomington and live in a few other locations. I have, and I promisethat you will be hard pressed to find a place where the school is so intertwined in the fabric of thecommunity and vice versa.For sophomore Megan McDevitt, attending South is something of a family tradition.Bloomington South has a long history, and being able to share and talk about some of my experienceswith Megan is a unique opportunity, said her father and former South student, Mr. Dan McDevitt.As a popular math teacher and former South student, Mr. Janis Berzins special experiencewith South involved coming full circle. Berzins was first introduced to South when, as a youngster, hewaited outside his mothers German classroom. Berzins said one reason for his return was that, I foundthat our administration is very supportive of teachers and students.Active community member, South parent, and boys assistant head tennis coach Ron Remakattended South as a student from 1971 -1975. Mr. Remak explained, South is a place that every day iscommitted towards encouraging while challenging all students to better themselves in and out of theclassroom. As a student, Remak was a four-year member of the varsity tennis team, student councilrepresentative, and academic award winner. What draws him back now, he says, are, .. .the experiencesin and out of the classroom, the special relationships with friends, teachers, and counselors, and thepride of representing a school that had and has a passion to excel.If you take a look around, you might be surprised by the number of Panther connections in yourown life. The bottom line: it is not what you did or who you were that keeps the connection alive. Itis the time we spend at South that makes us part of something much bigger — a history of success. Nowthat is something to be proud of.i ^_g°l°l]il9luT^ ^mfa^S0<sSISS0^Wffw Of*Connections ^^^Q Student Life
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/7539
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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