What’s recently happened?
First semester has officially finished. With the last day of classes on the eighth and finals concluding on the 15th, our Lakers were ready for break. Finals at La Lumiere (La Lu) are always a stressful time, but with the help of some favorite La Lu traditions, they can become an enjoyable experience. One of the best traditions throughout the year is our annual Christmas dinner.
“I enjoy Christmas Dinner so much because it is really nice to not have to worry about a final, and can instead spend my time enjoying delicious food and amazing company with the La Lu community,” said Senior Sloan Guenin.
Christmas dinner is a great time when the community comes together and celebrates the holidays and the faculty’s children get gifts.
Christmas dinner is put on by Guenin, the hospitality prefect. With the help of the prefect board, the Christmas Dinner this year was exceptional. The prefect board gets the students gifts with the money from the annual candy cane sales the week leading up to finals week. During the candy cane sales, you can spend one dollar on a candy cane to give to a friend or staff member.
“Christmas dinner is the final main event La Lumiere’s community has before the students go on winter break for the holidays,” said Guenin. “It’s an hour-long dinner that allows faculty and students to have a nice evening, not to be stressed about finals and instead be able to enjoy great food with their friends. It ends with the whole community singing Silent Night. For Christmas dinner, my role is to plan the event with the help of my mentor Mrs. Jacques and faculty member Mrs. Equizabal.”
What’s coming up?
The third annual La Porte Invitational is upon us. From January 4th to January 6th, the best teams in high school basketball from all over the nation will be competing in games that will be nationally broadcast, all at the Civic Center in La Porte. This year is particularly exciting for La Lu basketball fans because of the incredible success the team is having currently.
In the latest Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Scholastic team standings from week 4, La Lumiere is ranked fourth nationally, currently tied with Link Academy (MO), Oak Hill Academy (VA), and Wasatch Academy (UT). They play Wasatch Academy (UT) on January 6, and Long Island Lutheran (NY) on the fourth.
Also on the latest Nike EYBL Scholastic standings, on the league's points leader junior, Darius Adams was ranked fifth overall, on the blocks leaders, senior, Steve Solano was ranked second coming in at 1.8 bpg, and on steals leaders, senior, Ace Buckner came in first averaging 2.8 spg.
La Lumiere is currently 9-1 overall and 3-1 in conference matchups, only falling to Oak Hill Academy (VA). The Lakers beat both Legacy College Prep and Canyon International Academy before heading on break, making their conference record 3-1.
Directly after the tournament, on Sunday, boarding students will return back to school and on Monday we start the second semester.
Second semester is always so bittersweet because it has so many traditions such as senior candles, commencement, senior dinner, and convocation all towards the end of the school year.
Staff Spotlight:
Ms. Sarah Berndt is a social science history teacher at La Lu, from Westfield, Indiana. She graduated from college in Illinois and went to graduate school in Delaware. She aims to incorporate “place-making” and local history into classroom discussions. She currently teaches World History 2, and AP World History. This past fall semester, she added a history elective for mainly upperclassmen students, called Exhibiting History.
In the elective, Exhibiting History, students examined artifacts, maps, and images from the school's rich and diverse history. Students interviewed former students and former faculty to get their insight into the place La Lu once was to study the continuities and changes from then to now. Since this year was the class of 1973’s 50th reunion on campus during parent’s weekend, the Lakers in Exhibiting History had great insight and interviewees.
In the summer of 2020, Ms. Berndt started a baking business and brought baked goods to the Michigan City Farmer’s Market. It instantly became a massive hit. Ms. Berndt bakes amazing cookies and mini pies.
“Having a baking business has allowed me to connect with people in the community. More recently, I’ve baked desserts for La Lumiere events like Family Weekend and the Holiday dinner. It brings me so much joy to share my hobby with a community of people I love working with.”
The thing that Ms. Berndt loves most about La Lu is the community of students and faculty. She says, “It’s the kind of place where you can’t walk through campus without half a dozen friendly greetings as you pass. I try to never take it for granted. The students care deeply about their community and their school. It’s a special place to be.”
Student Spotlight:
Jerry Easter may be known for his amazing basketball skills and electric shot, but what many don’t know about him is his student-before-athlete mindset. Easter is a 6’ 4” junior from Toledo, Ohio and has 35+ offers from D1 schools to continue his academic and athletic career at schools such as USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, and Georgia Tech. The class of 2025 all-star made a name for himself early on. This year, he transferred to La Lu and can often be seen hanging out with his friends and shooting shots in his free time.
Easter values his academics, even stating in his Instagram bio that he has an impressive 4.0 GPA. Many high school athletes rarely give their academics as much attention as Easter does. Easter enjoys building relationships with teachers, classmates, teammates, and his advisor at La Lu.
“The rigorous academics that are offered at La Lu prepare me as a 21st-century learner. The athletic programs along with the coaches are the best in the area,” said Easter.
Along with being a stellar student, Easter is also an amazing athlete, often ranked in the top 10 for top NBA recruits coming out of the class of 2025. In one of his team's most recent conference matchups against Canyon International Academy, Easter scored 10 points in only 27 minutes. Earlier that weekend against Legacy College Prep, he scored 29 points and ended with 6 steals, proving he is a vital part of the team's on-court chemistry.