Benjamim Schirz

SNAP HAPPY Recording on a GoPro for social media, senior Sam Mellon has recently started a weekly sports podcast. “[Senior] Brendan Feeney and I have been talking about doing a sports podcast forever. We love talking about sports and we just grabbed [senior] Will Hanas and went along with it,” Mellon said.

Tune in: Sam Mellon

Filming. Editing. Recording. Senior Sam Mellon does it all. From the weekly episodes of Mustang Media to his shared podcast “Everything Sports but Soccer,”  Mellon produces student-run media.

“My role in Mustang Media is to film the majority of the interviews and edit whatever interviews we get,” Mellon said. “I go out and film clips of sports and clubs as well, and then I work with putting the interviews and clips together.”

Since the origins of Mustang Media, Mellon has worked to put together each and every episode. Episode segments vary from interviews, after-school events and sports. Uniquely, Mustang Media is uncensored by administration, giving them freedom to pick and choose what to cover.

“By not being censored, it allows us to speak about what’s on the student’s mind. If we were censored, then people are going to see this as a teacher production, a principal’s production,” Mellon said. “But it’s the kids that are making a show about the school, clubs and Munster. We are able to really speak our mind on what we want.”

Outside of class, Mellon and seniors Brendan Feeney and Will Hanas record episodes weekly for their sports podcast “Everything Sports but Soccer.”

“I think the benefit of having a podcast is you get to speak your mind, and if people want to agree or not, that’s their call,” Mellon said. “Having three different people gives us multiple different perspectives, and it allows us to talk about what we truly believe in.”

Planting change: Nina Hestjean

Advocating for environmental issues happening, freshman Nina Hestjean uses her voice on social media platforms and in real life. Hestjean has been reposting posts on Instagram stories and has even attended protests. At a clean energy protest at Wicker Park, Hestjean walked around peacefully with others holding posters along with cleaning a park in Hammond too.

“It’s a great way to express my opinions and beliefs and a part of my personality,” Hestjean said. “I would not be as self confident or capable in myself if I didn’t believe in these things. It’s a powerful message that others can learn from as well.”

Her family has been advocates for the environment too—composting and more ever since she was a little kid.

“My sister is a big inspiration to me right now too. She’s at Rice University in Texas in an ecology major and she wants to go into food science and environmental science,” Hestjean said.

Another part for Hestjean is the volunteer work that she participates in—going to the prairie restoration site to clean up and restore the habitat.

“Earth is our home. I feel this should be important to everyone, because this affects you, your friends and family,” Hestjean said. “Without a healthy environment, we can’t be sustainable. When the environment around you is deadly and toxic that affects you, both mentally and physically and the people that surround you.”

Speaking out: Jordan Fefferman

On the speech team since her freshman year, senior Jordan Fefferman has been competing in Prose and Dramatic interpretation, which focus on interpreting some form of media and informing about a social issue.

This year, Fefferman’s speech is based off of Cyndi Lauper’s memoir and focuses on her advocating for human rights throughout her career.

“Freedom of speech is the foundation of our society and I think it’s something that is a foundation for my personal beliefs because, like Cyndi Lauper, I think everyone should be totally themselves and be super weird because most people are weirder than they let on,” Fefferman said.

With a lot of time, work and dedication over the past four years, Fefferman looks back and says she would not be where she is without her coach Jordan Mayer, who has given her the opportunity to express herself and use her freedom of speech.

“There’s a lot of value in people who have experiences,” Fefferman said. “Whether it’s someone who has coached speech for 20 years or someone who has been in the government for 20 years, there is value in looking at people who have seen what’s come before.”