What’s recently happened?
As the school year at La Lumiere School (La Lu) comes to a close, the Lakers are finishing the school year strong by working hard academically and athletically while also participating in all of the end of school year traditions.
Since May has begun, students have been looking to finish the school year strong by writing their final papers and studying for their final exams. May is also the month that spring sports come to a close at La Lu.
This year, nearly all of the spring sports teams have proven to be nearly unstoppable, as both Boy’s Golf and Girl’s Tennis teams have started the season 5-0 and 4-0 respectively. The Boy’s Golf team has beaten nearly every team it has faced by a landslide of a victory. The only exception was the game against the South Bend Trinity School Titans, in which the Lakers only beat them by one point.
That one point, which came from Senior Jack Egan, proved to be substantial for the team. In Indiana Boys High School Golf, usually only the top four scores are taken into account when adding the scores up. However in this particular match, all of the first four golfers tied on their scores, leaving it to the fifth man, Egan, who narrowly beat his opponent by one point.
“I’m just out here having fun, but it’s cool that I won it for the team.” Egan said.
In addition to academics and athletics, the Lakers are also wrapping up their school year by participating in end of the school year traditions. This year, the Lakers have participated in The Taste of La Lumiere, in which the La Lu community made over 80 dishes to present to the La Lumiere and La Porte community.
The school’s annual Heads Cup flag football tournament has also begun. The tournament, which starts round-robin style, is always something that the La Lu community enjoys in the spring. The games started off with Team Bunting facing off against Team Moore on April 30. It was Team Moore who easily won the game with a landslide victory. The second game on April 30 was with Team Webster facing off against Team Sullivan, in which Team Sullivan just narrowly beat Team Webster by six points.
What’s coming up?
May is a month of tradition at La Lumiere. While some end-of-year traditions such as The Taste of La Lumiere and Prom have already passed, there is an abundance of traditions still to come.
On May 14, the Lakers will celebrate the end of Head’s Cup for the 2024-2025 school year with La Lu's annual Field Day. Field Day is a way for every team to win more points at the end of the school year. Any team can take home the trophy.
This year, La Lu students will participate in four activities around the school, including a sponge relay, tug of war, the conclusion of flag football, and the Laker favorite, the relay race around the school. Every year, Field Day is one of the students favorite activities as it creates so many memories.
On May 15, the seniors will spread their light with the underclassmen by participating in the senior candles tradition. Every senior is provided two candles and an opportunity to give them to a student who they have grown close to at La Lu, or a student who may be unsuspecting of the candle, but who the senior sees as a leader in the community.
May also marks the beginning of graduation activities. On Wednesday, May 21, all of the La Lu students will participate in Convocation, an athletic and academic awards ceremony to recognize the three pillars of La Lumiere: character, scholarship, and faith. The students who have gone above and beyond in those three pillars will also be recognized.
On May 22, the seniors will attend the Senior Dinner, which recognizes the seniors and their families. The seniors' advisors give a speech, and everyone can enjoy a meal with their friends and parents. Finally, the seniors will walk across the stage at the annual Commencement ceremony on May 23.
Staff spotlight:
Sean Murray is the current assistant director of academics and student life at La Lu and has worked at the school since 2021. Prior to working at the school, Murray grew up in Illinois and attended Villanova University to major in accounting and economics.
After graduating from Villanova University, Murray moved to Louisiana where he lived and worked in New Orleans. While he was living in New Orleans, he earned his Masters of Education from the University of Notre Dame.
At La Lu, Murray works with teachers and students to become fuller versions of themselves. By working with students, on the weekends on residential duty, along with coordinating school events, Murray is an influential member of the community.
“Our campus's beauty and serenity is something that can often be taken for granted, but it's ultimately the students, faculty, and staff that make this place special,” Murray said.
This school year, Murray has started the inaugural Fishing and Mini-Golf competitions. Both events proved to be successful this spring, with trophies for each competition.
Murray's favorite La Lu tradition is Senior Candles. Every senior over the course of the school year gives a speech in front of the entire school community about a topic of their choosing.
“It's special that we set aside time to hear the stories, experiences, and thoughts of each student that graduates,” Murray said.
Outside of La Lu, Murray enjoys reading, running, and spending time with family and friends.
Student spotlight:
For many La Lu students, attending La Lu isn’t something they ever expected to do growing up. However, for Christian Lake, attending La Lu is something that he always thought he would do. Lake is a junior day student who lives in La Porte.
This coming 2025-2026 school year, Lake will serve the school community as Head Prefect, a role that is chosen by an extensive process of applications, interviews, and a speech in front of the entire school community. Lake is a vital member of the La Lu community, as he participates in many activities throughout the school and always carries the values of character, scholarship, and faith throughout everything that he does.
“Having the opportunity to serve the school as head prefect is an opportunity I am excited about,” Lake said.
Some of the things that Lake does in the La Lu community includes reading at mass, along with playing varsity soccer, varsity regional basketball, and varsity baseball. Among other things, Lake was chosen as a Rising Star of Indiana. This is chosen through the Indiana Association of School Principals to honor junior students for their scholarship. This opportunity helps to increase the juniors visibility and scholarship opportunities.
“My favorite thing about the La Lu community is the great lengths teachers will go to in order to form genuine relationships with their students,” Lake said.
Outside of La Lu, Lake is also a key community member. Lake is a part of the “School Buddies” program, where he volunteers at a local elementary school, Handley Elementary, and has an assigned second grade buddy. This opportunity benefits both the second grade students, where they gain a great mentor, as well as helping Lake gain an appreciation for helping younger students in the community.
