What’s recently happened?
As January quickly progressed at La Lumiere School (La Lu), the Lakers were ready for February and winter activities to begin. Once the Lakers returned to the classroom, the second semester was quickly underway, bringing many fun activities and sporting events.
On January 29, the Girls Basketball team had a home game against South Bend Career Academy. Already being 9-1 on its season, the Lakers had proved to be extremely strong, and this game was no different.
Lauren Walsh, senior guard, scored her 1,000th career point, leading the team to end the night with a dominant 82-23 victory.
“Our team at La Lu this season has been such a fun and supportive group of girls. I’m just so incredibly grateful that I got to experience my 1,000th point with them,” Walsh said.
This however has not been the only dominant win of the Girls Basketball team's season. On January 17, Walsh also led the Lakers to a win against the Latin School of Chicago, putting up 34 points, along with six assists, five steals, and four rebounds. While this is Walsh’s first season for the Lakers, she is proving to be a powerful force on the team. After La Lu, Walsh is planning on attending Emory University to further her basketball career.
In addition to the sports scene having success, the Lakers have been successful in and around the classroom. On February 1, the Serviam Council coordinated a service trip with Anam Cara. Anam Cara is an organization whose goal is to foster healing within individuals and communities using horses.
“Anytime I stay on campus for the weekend, I sign up to do a service trip! I’m very excited for this particular one because I love horses and helping around them,” Senior International Student and Global Communities Prefect Anet Vozárová said.
What’s coming up?
Before spring begins, the Lakers have fun winter activities planned, including three Heads’ Cup activities. These include “Break the Ice,” spelling bee, and longest putt.
“Break the Ice” is a fan favorite activity. “Break the Ice” is where, when given a completely frozen jersey, the Lakers will have to break the ice around the jersey and then put it on. The team with the quickest time will win the competition.
Following “Break the Ice,” the Lakers will participate in a spelling bee. In the spelling bee, one boy and one girl from each grade will face off against the other chosen spellers in front of the school for Heads’ Cup points.
The final Heads’ Cup activity of winterfest will take place during the lunch periods and will be the longest putt. While it is not done during a traditional assembly period, longest putt is a fan favorite game that brings out the competition in everyone!
As February progresses, the Lakers will look towards Spring Break, sports, and activities. After Spring Break, the spring sports season will officially start. The spring season is exciting because it brings more activities. The spring sports offered at La Lu include Girls Tennis, baseball, and Boys Golf.
In addition, the spring season is filled with La Lu traditions. April hosts the Spring Open House, along with both The Taste of La Lu, and prom.
Staff spotlight:
Alex Kellenberg is a teacher and dorm parent at La Lu. Kellenberg teaches two classes, Eastern Religions and Ethics. A 2010 graduate of La Lu himself, Kellenberg chose to come back due to the close knit community.
“I love that I get to know my students in so many different contexts, from the classroom to athletics to the dorm to weekend trips. That helps me tailor my teaching style to their lives and personalities, which is a huge benefit when we’re discussing deeply personal and sensitive subjects like ethics and religion,” Kellenberg said.
Ethics, one of the classes that Kellenberg teaches, is a required senior capstone course. In this course particularly, students are asked questions to determine what is right and wrong. By introducing questions, the class is a discussion-based course. The discussion aspect of the course allows students the opportunity to become vulnerable with each other about their personal beliefs. Students study a variety of work from different philosophers including Aristotle, Socrates, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant.
Prior to returning back to La Lu, Kellenberg was a graduate of both Evergreen State College and St. John’s College. Kellenberg studied moral and political philosophy at Evergreen State College and received his master’s degrees in Western and Eastern Great Books at St. John’s College.
While at Evergreen State College, Kellenberg discovered his love of hiking. Kellenberg went on sabbaticals to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. After graduating, he also hiked the Continental Divide Trail. Combined, these three trails are known as the Triple-Crown and have helped further Kellenbergs hiking mileage to more than 10,000 miles.
“My main hobby is long-distance backpacking, and I’ve hiked more than 10,000 miles since college,” Kellenberg said.
Student spotlight:
Henry Fisher is a junior day student originally from Chicago, Illinois who now lives in Michiana, Michigan. Fisher chose to attend La Lu because he wanted to thrive in a smaller community in which he can make an impact.
Through La Lu, Fisher has been a part of lacrosse, tennis, and Faith Council. By being engaged in a variety of activities, Fisher has been able to diversify his community and develop different skills.
This past semester, Fisher decided to start an entrepreneurship club as a part of the Lumina program. Lumina programs serve as an opportunity for students to take leadership roles in creating a community around a topic they are passionate about.
Fisher started the entrepreneurship club due to his strong interest in business. Through entrepreneurship club, Fisher has had the opportunity to connect with inspiring entrepreneurs who share their real world experiences. The club has helped Fisher shape his understanding of business and has helped him think creatively about what’s possible.
“I wanted to create a space where students could hear directly from successful business owners about their journeys, share ideas, and learn from each other’s experiences,” Fisher said.