What's recently happened?
As spring is on the horizon, the winter sports and activities have wrapped up at La Lumiere School (La Lu). All of the teams ended the season victorious and all had their prospective senior nights.
On February 15, the Boy’s Varsity National Basketball team was honored for its senior night. The “neon night” theme closely coincided with the senior night. Additionally, two outstanding Lakers, Jalen Haralson and Darius Adams, were honored for their McDonald's All-American achievements.
The Varsity Regional seniors were honored with a “blue out” theme on February 26 against Andrews Academy. The regional team won the game 73-44 with Senior Team Manager Jack Egan even scoring a layup at the end of the game. In addition, the cheerleading team was honored on February 18 and performed a spectacular dance.
As February ended, so did the annual Winterfest activities. This year, the Prefect Council hosted a plethora of activities including Karaoke and Just Dance night, Spirit Week, and Casino Night.
Fine Arts Prefect Elliott Hall helped put on Karaoke and Just Dance night, along with the help of Chris Conrad, director of student activities. Together, they ensured that the night would be a success, with bountiful snacks and refreshments for all the performers.
“It really seemed like everyone had an awesome time together singing and dancing the night away,” Hall said.
Spirit Week was a smashing success in February, with themed days including Pajama Day, Twin Day, Anything but a Backpack Day, College/Jersey Day, and concluding with La Lu Spirit Day. Spirit Week was even more special due to the week ending with a long weekend, since the Lakers celebrated President’s Day.
Finally, on February 27, the Lakers were able to celebrate the end of Winterfest by a Heads Cup Casino night run by Residential Life Prefects Casey Van Eekeren and Firdavs Sharifov. Together, the two put on a night that was fun, exciting, and thrilling for all. By gambling Heads Cup coins, the Lakers were able to have fun by competing for Heads Cup points. At the end of the night, team Moore brought home the win in Bingo, while team Bunting won in all combined coins.
“It was so fun to play competitive games against all of my friends. Casino night isn’t the most prominent La Lu tradition but it definitely is one of the most fun,” Senior Anne Kuehn said.
What’s coming up?
Spring break is nearly here, and the Lakers are looking forward to the quick reset before the final quarter of the school year. Once the Lakers return from break, the spring sports season begins.
This year the Lakers have an opportunity to participate in numerous activities, including sports such as baseball, Girls Tennis, and Boys Golf, and other activities such as pilates and academic super bowl.
“I'm most excited to see our athletes compete in different sports. I've never seen a spring sports season here, so I'm enthusiastic to watch our student athletes compete and represent La Lu,” Director of Athletics Adam Owens said.
Additionally, the Lakers are sure to have a successful season filled with joy as the school year wraps up.
The Lakers are also looking forward to the immense amount of traditions that take place during the final quarter of the school year. In the month of April alone, the Lakers will take part in an event called The Taste of La Lumiere, Prom, class retreats, and the Spring Gala.
The Taste of La Lumiere is an event run by Hospitality Prefect Tobin Busch and Senior Advisor for Student Services and Academic Events Susie Eguizabal. The two will coordinate with the student body to cook recipes, perform dances, and pray in their perspective languages. The Taste of La Lumiere is an annual event that is always destined to be a fan favorite of both students, faculty, alumni, parents, and community members as it is an opportunity for them to learn about all the different cultures that take place in the La Lu community.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to see our community take part in such a special event. It really takes the entire community to come together to make the Taste so special,” Busch said.
Staff spotlight:
Adam Owens is the Director of Athletics at La Lu and began working at La Lu this past August. Prior to working at La Lu, Owens grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and attended Butler University.
Previously working as the Director of Player Development at East Carolina University and also working as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for two years, Owens has experience around athletes of all types and specifically the sport of basketball.
Since being at La Lu, Owens has competed in the highly competitive Bookstore basketball tournament in which his team has advanced to the elite eight. Catapulting right into student life, Owens has immersed himself in what it truly means to be a Laker.
Learning that to be a Laker means to live life caring for not only yourself, but also the community around you, your peers, grades and athletics as well.
“The people are the best part of La Lu, from the students, to the faculty and staff, everyone has a genuine joy and appreciation for others,” Owens said. “You buy the people before you buy the product, and La Lu is a great product because of the people.”
Student spotlight:
Kate Vanderveen is a senior day student from Granger, Indiana and has attended La Lu all four years. Vanderveen has been an abundant member of the La Lu community in her time here, participating in sports, the arts, and helping with social media.
While at La Lumiere, Vanderveen has also won the academic awards of National Rural and Small Town Recognition, Rising Stars of Indiana Class of 2025 award, Summa cum laude in ninth, 10th, and 11th grades, excellence in the study of studio art, and excellence in the study of writing about film.
Vanderveen also started a Fashion Club at La Lumiere. Through this, she planned activities like sewing projects and presentations on favorite designers. In addition, she also was a founding member of the literary magazine at La Lumiere, “The Massasauga.” In this, Vanderveen edits and organizes the work to prepare the magazine for publication.
Along with Owens, Vanderveen has served as a student apprentice assisting in creating social media posts and developing website content. Through this, she has developed website pages and gained experience in the field she wants to further her career in.
“I want to go into Sports Marketing because I am a creative person and marketing allows me to be creative while also using math and analytics to discover more about consumer trends,” Vanderveen said.
Growing up in a sports obsessed family, participating in Heads Cup, and other athletics at La Lu, sports is an integral part of Vanderveen's childhood and high school experience. Vanderveen is the team captain of team Webster, meaning she helps to foster participation and enthusiasm throughout her team.
“I love sports so to continue that love in sports marketing is something that I would have fun doing,” Vanderveen said.
