What’s recently happened?
With the first quarter being over on October 20, Lowell High School (LHS) has been kickstarting many of its clubs.
The LHS Page Turners recently had a callout meeting on Friday, October 6, in the media center. This is a club that promotes literacy within the school’s student body.
The club encourages everyone who enjoys reading and helping others to stop by a meeting and join. The teachers who lead this club are Lindsay O’Neill, Daniel Govert, and Danyelle Kozma.
Last year, the Page Turners interviewed teachers and asked them questions about their favorite books, later turning their answers into fliers that were displayed outside the media center. The club also puts on what is called Adopt a Shelf, where students or teachers can decorate a bookshelf with their favorite books and things they enjoy and would like to include. This month, the Page Turners have already begun with a “Booktober” bulletin board display in the center hallway of LHS.
This club only just began last year and has already had a multitude of projects completed with hopefully more to come in the future.
The new DECA club also had its callout meeting on October 18. DECA is a worldwide organization with goals to make students more academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced as leaders. It strives to help students become ambitious, high-achieving leaders in whatever fields they pursue.
“Lowell High School recently started a DECA chapter and is now part of the Indiana DECA organization! We are very excited to have this opportunity at our school. DECA is a not-for-profit career and technical student organization,” said Debera Hinchy, the teacher who will lead this club.
While this club is mostly business-oriented, Hinchy believes the skills students learn from this club will carry over to various other pathways.
LHS also started back up various other clubs earlier in the year including Diversity Club, Environmental Club, Leadership Club, and much more.
What's coming up?
LHS is hosting its annual Track-or-Treat on October 26. This is an event where LHS students from different extracurriculars and sports have the opportunity to hand out candy to children throughout the school, but it also includes many more activities.
The main event is the walk through the school for candy, but there will also be a costume contest and other fun mini-games and activities in the fieldhouse.
This is a highly anticipated event in Lowell because of how long it has been a tradition. The wristbands to attend have been available at all the Tri-Creek schools, and there are likely to be many people.
It is a fairly inexpensive and eventful activity for the younger children of Lowell, with wristbands only being $5 per child.
Many have attended this event for years, and it will hopefully continue to be an enjoyable experience for not only the children but for all.
Additionally, LHS is having its fall break on October 30 and October 31. This will be a much-needed break for the student body and teachers right after the end of the first quarter.
Staff spotlight:
Rosario Frampton has been a Spanish teacher at LHS for seven years.
Frampton grew up and spent much of her young life in East Chicago, Indiana. She later moved to Illinois and resided there for some time, ultimately attending and graduating from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois.
Frampton always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but her high school guidance counselor initially discouraged her.
“A high school guidance counselor, who happened to be my math teacher when I was in middle school, discouraged me by telling me that I would need to take many math classes. Math was my worst subject, so I majored in psychology for my first couple of years,” said Frampton.
Frampton knew in her heart that she was meant to be a teacher, so she switched majors after two years and couldn’t be happier about this necessary change.
Further, Frampton had an unusual start at LHS, seeing as she was hired only one week before school started. She initially had many doubts because she had never taught on a block schedule, never taught level three Spanish, and had never taught in a high school.
Now that she’s been in LHS for quite a few years, she enjoys the environment and believes that all the teachers are genuinely good people who are always willing to help.
“I like that teaching is something new every day. I love to see my students laughing and having fun when we play review games. I love the look in their eyes when the lightbulb goes off and I can tell they understand a new concept I'm teaching,” said Frampton.
Frampton enjoys much of her job, and the best part for her is watching her students learn and understand Spanish in ways they never thought possible.
Aside from being a well-respected teacher, Frampton enjoys going to the beach, reading, and traveling.
Student spotlight:
Hannah Rose is a junior at LHS who is constantly on the go with a full schedule.
She had a bit of a rough time with school in her younger years but has grown up to be an exemplary student and person.
Rose is especially proud that she found it within herself to get motivated for school again and that she put in the extra effort needed. She went from having a lower grade point average to now being a straight-A student.
“I’m proud of myself for wanting to be better and for actually doing better,” said Rose.
She is a member of quite a few clubs and groups at LHS.
Rose is a second-year mentor in the Red Devil Mentor Program (RDMP) and is currently a mentor in the special education classroom. Additionally, she is in the Culture and Diversity Club, DECA club, and others.
Outside of school, Rose is an all-star cheerleader for Revolt Cheer and Tumble in Crown Point, Indiana. She just recently became a member of this team this year but has been cheering for five years. Further, she is referred to as the main base on her cheer team because she ensures that all stunts work the way they are intended to.
“I enjoy going to work, seeing my family, and being with my boyfriend and friends. I work at a coffee shop in Cedar Lake, Indiana called Biggby Coffee, and I love it there. I see my family when I can, but mainly on holidays. If I’m not at work, school, or cheer, I’m with my friends and boyfriend,” said Rose.
After high school, Rose hopes to attend Indiana University Bloomington to pursue something in the criminal justice field, such as social work. However, her dream is to become a traveling hair stylist and one day open a salon.
“I would describe myself as strong. Everyone goes through so many things in life and lets that define them, but with all the struggles I have faced, I don’t ever let it show and I continue to push forward,” said Rose.
She has faced various challenges in her life that have caused her to stumble, but Rose has never let any of the negatives outweigh the positives in her life. This is why she was so proud of building her motivation for school and preserving it to become the person she is now.
“The best advice I have ever received is ‘Anything and everything can change, so live to appreciate what’s in your life now.’ This has allowed me to build stronger connections with others around me and show the people I care about how much they mean to me,” said Rose.