What’s recently happened?
La Lumiere is home to many different students, teachers, and faculty members from many different backgrounds. While these varying cultures are explored widely throughout the year, the ability for students to travel and explore in different countries has become a near impossible thing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until recently.
During this year's spring break two groups of students were able to travel abroad with La Lumiere. The groups traveled to two very different places on opposite sides of the globe.
A group of 20 students traveled to Costa Rica, where they were immersed into the rich environment of the Campanario Rain Forest. There, students were given the chance to hike through the rain forest, snorkel, swim in the ocean, and see some of the local wildlife.
The second group, composed of nine students, got the chance to travel to Ireland, where they were given the opportunity to explore the rich history of Irish culture and literature. While in Ireland the students stayed at the beautiful Kylemore Abbey where they were surrounded by the natural countryside of Ireland.
During the trip the students explored various towns, landscapes, and even some of the most popular tourist points in Ireland, such as the Cliffs of Moher, also known as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the film "The Princess Bride."
Upon returning from their trips, both groups of students presented talks, also known as cultural chapels, to the school on their experiences in both Costa Rica and Ireland. While the spring break trips are now over, many students are excited about the success of the first international trips since the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are looking forward to next year's group of trips.
What’s coming up?
For the first time since the spring of 2019, La Lumiere will once again host The Taste of La Lumiere (The Taste) on Saturday, April 9. This highly anticipated event celebrates the diversity of the community that makes up La Lumiere and allows students and faculty to share a piece of their culture with the rest of the community.
For this event, each student or faculty member makes a food dish from their background and then prepares this dish in bite-size proportions. From there, all the dishes are brought to the Marsch Gymnasium, where they are grouped together based on continent and then served to the community during the event. With dishes ranging from cannolis to paella, the options of food offered at this event are unlimited. One can try all of them, if they don’t get too full.
Not only does this event allow for the community to share their culture with others, but it also is a wonderful way to connect the La Lumiere community together. The piles of food available to try is just the cherry on top.
With the COVID-19 pandemic canceling The Taste for the last two years, many students are thrilled to see this event for the first time ever, and are looking forward to what should to be a fun, tasty night.
Staff spotlight
Brett Balhoff, the science department chair, has worked at La Lumiere for 12 years and has found great admiration for the diversity of the La Lumiere community.
“My favorite thing about La Lumiere is truly the community,” said Balhoff. “Here we have so many people from so many different backgrounds, and yet we all are here sharing one community together.”
While initially wanting to move to Indiana in an effort to be closer to family in the area, Balhoff discovered La Lumiere and found it to be an amazing school to teach at with amazing opportunities. One of those opportunities Balhoff got to be a part of with him being a chaperone on the Costa Rica trip this spring break.
“Costa Rica was an amazing experience because we were given the chance to see so many different animals in their natural habitat,” said Balhoff. “The coolest memory of the trip will forever be seeing a whale jump out of the water.”
Balhoff, having been at La Lumiere for some time, is still discovering new cultures and lessons, and is looking forward to continue learning from the community at La Lumiere that surrounds him.
Student spotlight
Kamryn Leonard, a current senior at La Lumiere, has found the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
“My favorite part of La Lumiere is by far being able to meet people from all over the world,” said Leonard. “I get to learn about so many different cultures from people who simply go to school with me.”
Leonard, outside of learning about different cultures in school, also was a member of the group of students who traveled to Costa Rica over spring break where she got to experience an environment she had never seen before.
“Costa Rica was amazing because I got to spend time with my classmates,” said Leonard. “We didn't have any cell service there and so everyone was without their phones which allowed us to be so close and just enjoy being together, whether that was by hiking in the jungle or swimming in the ocean.”
Leonard, who is now quickly approaching the end of her senior year, says if she could go back in time she would tell her freshman self to value her friendships more.
“I wish I could tell myself to value my friendships,” said Leonard. “Time moves so quickly and you never really appreciate what you have until you realize you are going to lose it.”