What’s Going On and Coming Up
The New Year breaks at La Lumiere as students and faculty return from the holidays and are greeted with a snow-covered campus. The Varsity White Basketball Team returned celebrating a job well done in Hawaii at the Iolani Classic! The team placed second at this prestigious competition. They also took in some educational experiences such as touring Pearl Harbor and visiting with Staff Sergeant Herb Weatherwax, a Pearl Harbor survivor. Their holiday break was spent playing games in Hawaii, Delaware and West Virginia.
La Lumiere is in a year of transition after the former headmaster of 14 years, Michael Kennedy left at the end of the 2015 school year. The 2015-2016 Interim Head of School, Dr. Charles Clark, has been warmly welcomed and a great, insightful leader replaced him. Participating in the school’s social events, even judging the Headmaster’s Cup competition of a play dough bust of Dr. Clark himself, he's been a lot of fun, and easily became a part of the La Lumiere family.
He's initiated insightful school-wide conversations on the importance of perseverance, hard work, and commitment to your future. It was announced a few months ago that Adam Kronk would be the seventh Head of School in the 2016-2017 school year. He's already being integrated into the community, hosting a school-wide conversation on January 6th.
Everyone rushed back to school amidst the snow and cold to kick off La Lumiere’s Winterfest. The annual two-month long celebration of the snow commences with a Pride Day to celebrate the Varsity Blue and Girl’s Basketball Games against Horizon Christian Academy at home on Wednesday, January 6th. Consisting of a Lip Sync Battle, Tubing at Bendix Woods, Dorm floor hockey, a dance night, a ski trip, and Chilifest, the next two months are full of fun for the La Lu community.
Most anticipated, La Lumiere’s Night for Niño’s Comedy Show Fundraiser is only a month away and the Improv Group got practicing over break. A show at Michigan City’s Elks Lodge brought a lot of laughs. Winterfest continues until the end of February, ending with Winter Formal. Although finals are out of the way, the La Lumiere students have a daunting 8 weeks ahead of them until spring break. Winterfest brings fun and excitement to the groggy weeks of winter.
The second semester has introduced a new rotation of weekly classes. Every Monday, the hour and forty-five minute electives give students a chance to add a variety of semester-long courses more specialized than year-long courses.
Monday Electives are not only for knocking out courses like Health and Economics but picking up classes for specific interests. This semester teachers are offering courses like Apocalyptic Literature, Public Speaking, and Introduction to Computer Programming. These electives give students to have even smaller, more intimate classes and a semester to gravel over specialized interests once every week.
Monday Electives also open up opportunities for students to get community service hours. Big Brother/ Big Sister, Humane Society, Nursing Home, and Sharing Meadows are very popular options for Monday Electives, the times is spent with La Lumiere students aiding their surrounding community. I talked with Ms. Jones, college counselor and now teacher of a Russian Literature Monday Elective.
Teacher Spotlight
Ms. Jones posted memes of Russian President Vladimir Putin along with flyers adorned with gold star stickers around campus urging students to sign up for her new class Russian Literature. Ms. Jones is known as the Assistant Director of College Counseling and many seniors account her heard work and dedication to why they got in college, but that’s probably just their own hard work and dedication.
She brings her calm and wise spirit to the classroom as she introduces La Lumiere students to a world power many have little knowledge or exposure to. The La Lu community has many world traveled and cultured individuals, students, aand teachers alike. This variety and diversity introduce many perspectives and worldviews to the communities.
I asked Ms. Jones about her new class, what she hopes to do with it, and her own connection to Russia.
“My course is on Russian Culture and History, focusing on the last one hundred years. I hope to better acquaint students with the rich music, art, history and spirituality of this great country and give a context for Russia and its actions in the world today.
I studied Russian in college, and later spent a total of five years working and studying in the country, so it is a topic that is of personal interest to me and one that I happen to think should be of interest to anyone!
At the end of the course, I hope that students will simply get to know more about the country and its people. There is a depth to the Russian experience, and a mystery about it, that is attractive to Americans. With Russia as a major player on the world stage, we have to make inroads to understanding one another once again. I hope to contribute to that mission.”
Student Spotlight
Max Zaccone is a sophomore who is taking Ms. Jones Russian Literature Culture and History class and I asked him about his decision in joining the class, and what he hopes to take from it.
“I decided to take the Russian Culture and History elective for several reasons. Throughout my life, I’ve had several friends who were adopted from Russia, and while studying Russia is quite frequently involved. I’ve always felt more than a passing interest, and with Russia appearing more and more in the news, I decided it would be a wise decision to further inform myself about a major player in world events, past and present, in order to better understand history and our current geopolitical situation. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Russia both as a nation and as a culture so that I can better comprehend its role in the world.”