What’s recently happened?
La Porte High School’s (LPHS) office has had a festive week. In celebration of the upcoming holidays, the office staff decided to have a little fun. Each week day was a different activity with a prize.
Monday was a mini ornament hunt. One office member hid 144 mini ornaments between the front office, administration office, attendance, counseling, and nurses’ offices, as well as in hallways, the mailroom, copy room, conference rooms and all individual offices.
All office staff were to compete and the person who retrieved the most ornaments received a scratch-off ticket wreath.
In the end, different offices started to team against each other. Team Rachel Cooper beat Team Austin Epple.
Tuesday consisted of a game of how well everyone knows Principal Scott Upp. There was a questionnaire of 14 questions sent to the same office staff, and whoever got the most correct won two scratch offs.
Teacher Steve Santana took the prize with 12 out of 14 correct answers. Office Staff Member Amanda Lower came in second place with 10 out of 14 correct answers.
Wednesday was the office snowball fight. Each office member received a soft snowball left on their desk with a note letting them know of the rules. Members became very competitive and started to steal others' snowballs to have more protection. Administration saw this as a joke and started handing out incident reports to those who have been hit with the snowball.
Thursday was another hide and seek game. There were five Buddy the Elf marshmallow suckers meticulously hidden. As the day progressed on, hints were given out to office members as to where they were hidden. Though the winners have yet to be announced, we do know they got to keep the sucker and a holiday scratch off.
Friday is a surprise for all office members and will be announced at a later date.
What’s coming up?
The Class of 2024 is going to be remembered at LPHS for many years to come. Members of the Senior Class Council – Kamryn Kubik, Ethan Wilmsen, Chloe Chezem, and Carter Moses – made a large Slicer Flying L to be hung in the Small Commons.
The board itself is made out of styrofoam, and the L is made out of bottle caps donated by Key Club and Interact Club. There were hundreds of bottle caps, and none went to waste.
Jeremy Ruff, LPHS woodshop teacher, helped construct the frame, and Marybeth Lebo, LPHS art teacher, helped with painting.
“We wanted to bring together the senior class and brighten up the school. We also wanted to show a little more of the students in the school,” Moses said.
Students Olivia Lemon, Stephanie Leon, Megan Lambert, and Moses carried the board around the school so all senior students could sign it. They will continue to go around until all students have signed.
It is expected to be hung next semester or over the summer. For those who did not sign the board, announcements will be made for further information.
Staff spotlight:
Jenny Hartson is a busy bee at LPHS. Hartson is the front desk secretary and juggles many jobs including answering and directing calls, maintaining the copy room, mailing letters, distributing staff mail, announcements, managing emails, locating students for drop off items, directing visitors, staff and students to desired locations, mentoring students, and creating positive energy for all.
“I love people, so this job is perfect. Staff and student interactions are the best,” Hartson said.
Before coming to LPHS, Hartson worked in many different opportunities in retail. She attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts for voice but did not graduate.
“Though I did not get the chance to graduate, it was an honor,” Hartson said.
This is Hartson’s first year at LPHS, but she has been back in La Porte for almost two years. She was born in La Porte but has lived in Ohio, Massachusetts, California, and Florida.
Outside of working, Hartson loves singing, being in nature, being artistic, and spending time with her family.
Student spotlight:
Junior Allison Schnick is a bubble of joy in and outside of school. She is involved in Girl Reserves, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and tennis.
Though Schnick is unsure what she wants to do in the future, she wants to have a positive impact on others.
“My goal in life is to make everyone’s day brighter,” Schnick said.
Her favorite class is Personal Relations (PR). In PR, students like Schnick are able to go to elementary and middle schools to take pictures and videos of classroom activities to be able to post to their respective Facebook pages.
Outside of school, Schnick loves to draw, travel, and make others smile. She has been to 12 different states as well as Canada.
“Seeing people smile and having a good time makes me so happy,” Schnick said.
Schnick is someone that is always positive and willing to help. She is a shining star student for LPHS.