What’s recently happened?
February at La Lumiere School (La Lu) has been busier than ever. With the continued basketball games, drama productions, and the upcoming spring break, students are on their last push to end the quarter on March 1.
On February 10, the Girls Basketball team finished its season, with its last game ever with head coach Matthew “Marv” Marvin. Marvin served as director of student leadership and activities and as the head Girls Basketball coach. Marvin has taken on a head golf position at Holy Cross College in Notre Dame.
The Boys Regional Basketball team ended its season on February 27 after a tremendous run. The Varsity Boys National Basketball team has continued its season, hoping for its invitation to the annual Geico Nationals. The Lakers are currently 22-4 on their season. On February 11, Jerry Easter sizzled the net with a tremendous 37 points to help the Lakers get to a victory.
On February 9, the Varsity National Team hosted Sahi Strong Night, a night dedicated to former La Lu Alum Aameer Sahi and the foundation named in his memory. La Lu improved to 16-4 after this game, with Easter scoring 24 points, Jalen Haralson scoring 19 points, and Chuck Love III scoring 15 points.
The La Lu Players presented “A Doll’s House” from February 17-22. With help from Faculty Mentor Matt Benedict, the show was a huge success. “A Doll’s House” has been performed around the world portraying the message that women have the strength to stand up against society's expectations of them.
Freshman Anna Balhoff performed “A Doll’s House” as her first play with the La Lu Player’s.
“Being in the theatre program is an incredible experience,” she said.
What’s coming up?
March is always such an interesting month at La Lu. With Easter falling early this year and the two-week Spring Break to start the month of March, La Lu will have breaks throughout most of the month.
However, La Lu has its first Admitted Students Day of the year, and students and staff are excited to have some of the upcoming Class of 2028 on campus for the day. Admitted Students Day gives newly admitted students the opportunity to see what a day in the life of a La Lu student is like without shadowing an upperclassman like they would on a shadow day.
“Admitted Students Day is one of the most fun days at La Lu because, as an incoming freshman, you get to meet and experience what a day at La Lu is like. As a returning student, you get to meet all of the new freshmen for the next year,” said Admissions Council Member and Sophomore Erin Morrison.
In April, La Lu has the annual Taste of La Lumiere hosted by the Hospitality Council and Student Services Senior Advisor and Events Coordinator Susie Eguizabal. The Taste is a tradition that was started 32 years ago for international students to share some of their cuisine from their home countries with the rest of the La Lu community. The Taste is a great time for students and their families to join in the La Lu community, create dishes they enjoy, and share them with everyone.
La Lu also has the Spring Open House in mid-April, which is a great time for families to tour and see what La Lu has to offer. Families with kids as young as sixth grade often come, and the admissions team also hosts tours, mini classes, and a student-led informational panel for visitors.
The Senior Retreat, which also takes place in April, is yet another community bonding experience for only seniors. The Senior Retreat has been a tradition the underclassmen know nothing about, but is something everyone is ecstatic to go on, which builds suspense throughout the years students attend La Lu.
Staff spotlight:
Molly Shields, originally from San Antonio, Texas, has been working at La Lu since the fall of 2021. She earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Texas A&M University and her master’s in education from the University of Notre Dame.
She teaches Biology and Advanced Biology along with coaching co-ed cross country and Girls Tennis. Along with coaching and teaching, she is the faith faculty mentor and helps in the dorms.
“At La Lu, it is expected that we are involved in quite a few things outside of the classroom, and, while it does require a lot of time, I love that I get to see students in so many different spaces. During cross country and tennis season, there are students I have in class, the dorm, and on the sports team. It really helps forge great relationships,” she said.
Outside of La Lu, Shields loves running and furthering her faith. To get her through the winters, she plans to run a half-marathon every April and has done so all three winters she has been in Indiana. The thing that stands out about La Lu to Shields the most is the school’s sense of community. She loves this and the relationships fostered, especially during times such as orientation at the beginning of each school year.
“Every year at La Lu begins with a few days of orientation. It is full of games, practices, and fun activities designed for students to get to know each other better. When I first arrived here, it really felt like a summer camp, and I loved having a few days to get to know the students here before getting to teach them in the classroom,” said Shields. “La Lu promotes such a strong sense of community, and I love that that is the first thing we do before we start the school year.”
Student spotlight:
Max Albano is a senior at La Lu and has attended La Lu all four years. Albano also serves as the current admissions prefect. In being the admissions prefect, Albano coordinates shadow days for prospective students, gives tours to visitors, prospective students and families, and is a liaison between the student admission team and the admissions office. Albano runs the student admissions team, Blue Key, which is made up of around 30 students from all different grade levels. Blue Key helps out with all parts of the admissions process, from giving tours to prospective families, hosting shadows, creating accepted students boxes, and hosting the semi-annual open houses.
In his time at La Lu, he has been involved in activities such as crew, tennis, lacrosse, volleyball club and pickleball club. Outside of school, Albano is a student pilot and enjoys learning more about what it takes to become a pilot.
Albano loves the class sizes at La Lu because of how small they are, which allows for teachers to make sure everyone knows the material.
“I love the sense of community at La Lu, I love how everyone can come together regardless of grades or differences,” Albano said.