What’s Recently Happened?
Students have returned back to the beautiful La Lumiere High School (La Lu) campus, and this school community could not be more thrilled. The campus is full of students studying outside on the picnic tables and playing spike ball in their free time. Tennis and golf matches, soccer and volleyball games, and cross country meets have already begun, but that is not all that is going on.
Every Wednesday, La Lu has a 50-minute period, called Electives, where students are free to do, well, pretty much anything they want! Electives allow students to choose from a wide variety of clubs to participate in. Many of the clubs are student-proposed and led. With options like volunteering at the local humane society, discussing Simone De Beauvoir, or fishing at Lake Lumiere; the possibilities for electives are endless.
Electives have been a long-standing tradition, but this year, they are primarily student-led. At the start of the year, students were told that most clubs were going to be started by students, meaning that students had to bring their own ideas and team up with a teacher to make their clubs happen. This idea goes perfectly with this year’s school motto: Live the Light. Students are given the chance to “live their light” at La Lu by taking initiative and bringing what they want to see at their school.
Students are matched with an elective from one of their top six choices. Electives are the perfect opportunity to be able to share your interests with others and find people that enjoy spending their time the same way you do.
Electives take place in the middle of the week on Wednesday. Students are encouraged to take a break from studying and simply just do what they love. They are the perfect opportunity to find something new that you like or make time for a hobby that you may not have been able to fit into your schedule.
Electives have commenced and students could not be happier with this opportunity.
What’s Coming Up?
Alumni and Parents Weekend is rolling in at the end of the month, from September 30 to October 1. The weekend is for parents and alumni to visit the campus and see how the first few months of the school year have been. Whether it is parents meeting with teachers or alumni returning to meet up with long-time friends or family who now attend La Lu, the weekend welcomes everyone.
This weekend gathering includes sports games and a drama performance from The La Lu Players. Students are recognized for their hard work throughout the season, but seniors, in particular, are highlighted.
The final activity of the weekend is the Senior Bonfire, a beloved tradition at La Lu that is like nothing you have ever seen before. The entire senior class, all 72 students, carry a torch through the woods until they reach the soccer field. There, they all throw their torch into the bonfire creating a blaze of color in the night sky, in celebration of their senior year. Many of the underclassmen are there to cheer on their friends as they carry their light. With La Lumiere being translated to “the light” in French and this year’s motto, Live the Light, it is safe to say that this is one of the most anticipated traditions of the year for seniors.
Staff Spotlight
Molly Nitschke joined La Lu in 2021, following a teaching fellowship program called the Alliance for Catholic Education through the University of Notre Dame, where she taught science in Tampa, Florida. Although she was sad to leave the warmth of Florida, it is safe to say that teaching biology on a campus with a beautiful lake and woods makes up for it.
Nitschke fell in love with science, particularly biology, in high school. She decided to become a teacher to try to share and develop that passion in her students. She adores being at La Lu where the student and teacher relationships are so personal. She is able to get to know her student’s strengths and weaknesses and target what they need to work on in the classroom.
Nitschke teaches biology to the whole freshman class, as well as Advanced Biology to those who decide to take a more rigorous look into the world of biology or those who hope to continue biology in college and as a career path.
Student Spotlight
Delaney Killeen is a senior at La Lu and has been here since she was a freshman. Having an older sibling who was already enrolled at La Lu, Killeen knew the campus well and knew it was the place for her.
Killeen is the Admissions Prefect at La Lu. This means that she works alongside Mary Pickens-Corsones, the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, to help reach out to students and invite them to take a look at La Lu when considering options for high school. Some of the big projects she takes on as Admissions Prefect are the open houses, New International Student Orientation, and Orientation Week, just to name a few.
Killeen is thankful for the leadership opportunities and positions that have been presented to her at La Lu. She wants to take these opportunities and give back by encouraging others to come to La Lu so that they have a chance to also take advantage of everything the school has to offer.