Geico Tournament Gains Enthusiasm
Many high schoolers dream of getting to compete for a state title. La Lumiere sets their sights slightly higher, looking for a national title. This year the Varsity White Boys Basketball team was blessed to be able to compete in the Geico High School Nationals on March 29. The team, seeded fifth in the tournament, were invited to participate in this tournament for the seventh consecutive year. They left at 5 AM with a police escort Wednesday the 28 and traveled to New York, anxious on the heels of last year’s victory. The Lakers had a taste of victory last year and they wanted more.
Many La Lumiere fans made the journey up to New York City to watch them play, and the whole school had classes shifted to give students the opportunity to support their friends on TV. Many enjoyed the experience of seeing a classmate come on screen, commenting about sitting next to them in class and then seeing them on television. The Lakers were incredibly determined and had an extremely strong first half, leading by seven at half time. Unfortunately, this did not last, as Findley Prep, ranked fourth in the tournament, found their own fire during the third quarter. Sadly, the Lakers were unable to bounce back, and were defeated. They still loved the experience though, and were grateful for the opportunity to compete. Not many kids can claim they competed in a National Tournament while still in high school! But do not think this means they are done. They plan to come back swinging next year, and bring home another title to Indiana.
Food, Glorious Food!
Food is something that unites us all, something that is universal no matter where you go. The types of food however are not the same everywhere, and it is a treat to try different cultures culinary creations. The Taste of La Lumiere does just that. Starting as a few dishes in our Moore house, some of La Lumiere’s international students were missing home and wanted to recreate some of their favorite dishes to share with their friends. Now, twenty-six years later, the Taste has grown to an event were close to one hundred dishes are served and is a well loved tradition at the school. Each student participates in some way, be it cooking, decorating, or serving food. Dr. Nasidi originally helped start this event, and now it is hosted continually in her honor after she retired.
This year, preparations for the Taste are already well under way. It will be help on Friday April 6, and is open to the whole community. There will be many dishes there representing all of the inhabited continents. Many kids also dress up in traditional outfits relating to their country of choice. Students get to display their heritage, even if they are a domestic student, and love the expression that this event allows. La Lumiere is a truly welcoming place that embraces its diversity and shares it with the whole community.
Getting the Best of Both Worlds
Imagine chasing your dreams. Sounds great right? But what if it means going halfway across the world? That might be a bit of a problem for some people. However, from Ramon Singh, this was not a problem, traveling from Sydney, Australia to Indiana, and attending La Lumiere to play basketball. Transferring to La Lu last year, Ramon joined Varsity White as player number fifteen. He instantly bonded with the team, saying, “The guys made the transition a lot easier than expected.” He also mentioned that the team is basically his family at this point, and he has made a lot of close friends, especially Daniel Goldrick, also on the basketball team, and from Australia. The two are a power duo, always practicing together and are dynamite together on the court.
One of Ramon’s favorite memories from La Lumiere, though, does not come from basketball, although winning the National Tournament last year was definitely a huge highlight. Instead, it came from senior retreat. This is an expedition that the entire senior class takes every year to grow as a group and form bonds that last beyond graduation. At first it may seem slightly intimidating, but the memories created there last for a lifetime, as Ramon can prove.
“It really helped me to make friends outside of my typical circle,” he commented.
This is one of the special things La Lu can do because of its size. Ramon is very grateful for having these close personal experiences while playing basketball at a national level. Yes, he truly has gotten the best of both worlds.
Poet Extraordinaire
Mr. Matt Buchanan, the Chair of the English Department, has words that flow out of him like poetry. Actually, it usually is in the form of poetry! He has written many poems and shared a few with the La Lumiere community, which are always an enjoyable treat during Morning Meeting. This year, he created a poetry writing contest for the whole school to participate in. In addition to writing poetry, Mr. Buchanan also writes children stories. He has two children, David and Abby, who often star in his kids books. Sadly, none of them have been published yet, but they are what he calls his “working manuscripts waiting for publication.”
Originally from California, he taught in Palm Desert for ten years, a warm comfortable place, and then he came to the snow and unpredictably of Indiana. He has adjusted well to the seasons, and is now an active coach on two teams. He is the assistant coach for Academic Decathlon, which he competed in while still in high school himself. Additionally, he is the head coach for the baseball team. He loves baseball, and he said it is something he’s played ever since he was little.
“There are two things I’ve done as long as I can remember, playing baseball and playing the accordion,” he said.
Unfortunately, he does not have much time to play the accordion anymore, though he still plays it every Christmas. Baseball, on the other hand, has never left his life. He has even written a few poems about baseball! He is currently teaching a class on Shakespeare, and is hoping the baseball season is not like one of his tragedies!