What’s recently happened?
As the school year comes to an end, many of La Lumiere School’s (La Lu) end of school traditions are coming to completion. In April, La Lu always has the Taste of La Lumiere, the Spring Gala, Senior Retreat, and the Spring Open House.
The Taste of La Lumiere was once again a success. With over 97 dishes and four traditional dances, the Taste was one of the best yet. Some star dishes included fried grasshoppers from Mexico, Tex-Mex enchiladas from Texas, and sushi from Japan all made by different La Lu students.
The spring sports season has officially started, and the Lakers are off to a great start. The Laker baseball team is currently sitting 2-2 (as of April 22), but its season is looking up with wins against South Bend Washington High School, Argos High School, and Marquette Catholic High School. The victory against Marquette was a hard fought match, but a stellar grand-slam by Junior Brady Monaghan sealed the deal for the Lakers.
“Baseball this season has been really fun, but winning makes it all the better,” Monaghan said,
In addition, the Boys Golf team is also looking to continue being victorious. The golf team is currently sitting at 3-0 (as of April 22). Junior boarding student from Hinsdale, Illinois Scottie Upp has shot under 40 at every match thus far. With a freshman-dominated team, the Lakers are looking to not only have a tremendous season this year but also in the seasons to come.
Since starting its season, the Girls Tennis team has also been quite busy. To start the season, the girls have gone 3-0. With Senior Tamara Eliasova leading the team at one singles, the team has all learned a lot.
What’s coming up?
May means the end of the school year, and at La Lu, that means all of the end of school year traditions. In May, the current Prefect Board gets replaced with a Prefect Board of the new rising seniors. The process allows the seniors to enjoy their last weeks of high school.
The Prefect Board promotes student-led leadership throughout the school, with prefect positions including head prefect, activities, academic, sacristan, serviam, hospitality, residential life, admissions, fine arts, and global communities. Each student prefect has a faculty sponsor and is in charge of their sector of student leadership.
Another end of year tradition, senior candles, will be happening at the end of May. Senior candles celebrate the light passed down through La Lu students. Each year, every senior receives the opportunity to gift two candles to any junior, sophomore, or freshman. This serves as a great opportunity for seniors to honor their friends or anyone who they see creating light in the La Lu community.
On the Wednesday before commencement, La Lu will have its annual convocation. The convocation serves as a time for both academics and athletics from the year to be honored. The next day is a senior dinner, a time for seniors to reflect on their high school experience and for their advisors to honor them with a speech. The senior dinner is one of the best parts of the high school experience at La Lu. Following that, to end the school year, La Lu will have its annual commencement ceremony.
“The end of the school year is such a special time because it will probably be the last time you will ever have all of your friends in the same place,” said Junior Anne Kuehn.
Over the summer, in June, the annual Freshman Experience will happen, along with basketball, tennis, and soccer camps. The Freshmen Experience is a week-long event where the incoming freshmen have the opportunity to live together in the dorms over the summer. It is a great bonding experience for all the freshmen, with fun activities such as a beach trip, movie nights, head cup activities, and so much more.
Staff spotlight:
Andy Webster is the current head of school at La Lu. After working as a head of school in New Jersey for the past 18 years, La Lu seemed like the perfect next step for him and his family. While this may be his first year at La Lu, he has taken it upon himself to become an integral part of the community, attending classes, sport practices, and games.
Webster especially appreciates the sense of community that is present at La Lu. He has been seen playing tennis at tennis practice or indulging in his history as a soccer coach on the soccer field. In his free time, he also loves to explore the natural world around him through poetry, making food, and traveling.
Above all, Webster feels La Lu is a home, a sense of community he immediately felt when he first toured the school. Webster instantly felt he could thrive, do great work and be happy. The community is something that is such a cherished part of La Lu that everyone comes to appreciate, but for Webster, he felt the instant connection from the start.
“The size of La Lu allows it to be a place of close, personal interaction and attention,” Webster said. “That feeling is enhanced by the fact that many students and teachers live here, making it as much a village as a school. The emphasis on character and faith are of equal importance to the academic focus, which also makes it distinctive.”
Student spotlight:
Semeon Chachanko is a current senior at La Lu, and has served as the head prefect for the ‘24-’25 school year. Chachanko, originally from Chesterton, has attended La Lu all four years, and has also served as the Boys Soccer team captain, in addition to being involved in the lacrosse and basketball teams.
To say Chachanko is a leader at La Lu would be an understatement. Chachanko has been a vital part of the La Lu community since his first day on campus. With always being a lively part of the community, being head prefect always seemed like the next step for him. As head prefect, he works directly with Webster along with the Assistant Head of School Duncan Webb and Senior Advisor for Student Services and Academic Events Susie Eguizabal.
“The school has brought a positive impact on my life, and I wanted to do the same for the community of the school,” Chachanko said. “The position has brought me many opportunities to work with everyone and help contribute to the growth and the development of the school, which is something that I had aimed for.”
In being head prefect, Chachanko is responsible for a plethora of things, but overall is someone the whole school community can look up to, or ask questions to, as he serves as a liaison between the staff and students.