Mr. Gonczy, a journalism teacher at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, holds a copy of The Caravan, the high school newspaper, with third year student Anthony Law-Wyllie.

The Mount Carmel High School experience is like no other experience you can get at any other high school. My first two years at Mount Carmel as a freshman and a sophomore, have been the greatest two years of my life! Now at the age of 17, I have begun my third year and have already had some great experiences.

I have excellent teachers for all my classes. Returning from a nice summer break, I have gotten reacquainted with all of my friends. In school I enjoy being on the varsity soccer team. Outside of school, I spend some of my time weekly at Saint Margaret Mercy Hospital in Dyer, Indiana, doing volunteer work. I began to take an interest in journalism during my freshman year. Since then, I have started writing stories for the newspaper.

Since freshman year, one particular teacher has given me direction and has brought me into a new world, which I never thought I would enjoy. That teacher’s name is Mr. Gonczy. It was in my freshman English class where he first started guiding me. Prior to his class I did not enjoy writing at all and wanted nothing to do with it. Then I met Mr. Gonczy. Through him, I have developed a passion for writing and reading. He showed me how writing can be fun and he showed me how I have a talent for writing.

During my sophomore year, I wrote periodically for the school newspaper, The Caravan. Mr. Gonczy would assign me stories that he knew I could cover. At the end of my sophomore year, Mr. Gonczy enrolled me in a summer journalism camp at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. Students from all over the United States and some from around the world attended the camp.

While there, I enrolled in the Feature writing class because Feature writing is what I enjoy the most. During journalism camp I used all of the skills and knowledge that Mr. Gonczy taught me. Because of his teaching, I did well and stood out more than any of the other students. At the end of the camp, the teachers handed out awards and scholarships for outstanding effort and good work that was shown there. I am only a junior, so I did not expect to win. When Jack Dvorak, the head administrator called my name awarding me a $400 Alternate Scholarship for the summer workshops at Indiana University, I was absolutely stunned! This was the greatest award that I have ever received. Clearly Mr. Gonczy was the reason I won this award. If I had not had him as a teacher at Mount Carmel, he would have never showed me the way to be a better writer. He encouraged me to write and his encouragement led directly to my receiving the scholarship.

Now, in my third year, I am a student in Mr. Gonczy’s’journalism class and part of The Caravan newspaper editorial board. On a daily basis Mr. Gonczy continues to teach me about journalism and how to become a better writer and reporter. His journalism class is by far my favorite class this year and is the most useful for me. If I were back in my freshmen year again, and someone told me that by my third year I would have a great passion for writing, win a scholarship, and be on the editorial board of the newspaper staff, I would think they were crazy. Thanks Mr. Gonczy and thanks Mount Carmel.