The Roof is Fixed
The wait has finally come to an end: LaPorte High School’s roof has been fixed! The days of leaks and the fear of collapse are no longer worries for the staff and students in attendance.
While most enjoyed their summer vacation, others were hard at work for nearly three months at the high school, putting the safety of staff and students as their top priority while they tended to the roof issues as they prepared for the new school year.
No longer will buckets be placed around the school to catch the drips of water that escape through the ceiling. Students can now walk in the hallway without knocking said buckets down as they walk to their classes. The education of students will be the sole focus of LaPorte High School as it should be.
“For optimal learning to occur, you have a have a safe environment. A roof is basic coverage. Leaks and deterioration are distracting to kids and teachers. [Fixing the roof] lessens distractions,” Mr. Tonagel, principal, said.
Expectations versus reality
Throughout our lives we transition, forming new opinions and outlooks that shape us as people. Perhaps one of the most pivotal times of transition is the one we are currently experiencing: high school.
Our teenage years often become a metamorphic stage where we break free from the naivety of adolescence. These four short years become the point in which the beginning of our lives is truly set in motion.
It is safe to say that the expectations of high school alter drastically throughout our time here. For incoming freshman, fears of the upperclassmen and piles of homework loom in their minds as they walk through the halls.
“I was scared...worried that I would be lost, and trampled by the twenty foot seniors,” Tionna Wedding, freshman, said.
The fear of being lost within the numerous hallways of LaPorte High School is common among new students. The seniors seem like full grown adults towering over them, and being late to class on the first day feels like the end of the world.
Though these fears feel as though they will never go away, it is important to remember that during our time here we grow and change, and we do not leave the same people that we were coming in.
Most seniors of LaPorte High School this year are entering into their fourth year in this building. The halls and rooms have become second nature, and the fears that were once so evident freshman year have nearly been washed away.
Lennon Fischbacher, senior, wanted to remind students that it will not always appear this difficult. “High school is the easiest thing you’ll ever do. Just remember that when it gets hard,” he said.
We as students so often fear and worry about our day-to-day lives in high school that we never truly appreciate the big picture. These four years are the last moments we can cherish our childhood before being pushed off into the world of adults.
We are the future generation of this country, and what we learn and choose to do now may alter our path later on down the road. It is also important to remember, though, that that one bad grade will not haunt you forever. Even adults make mistakes.
So to all freshman reading this, the fear and worry that may be infecting you right now will not last forever. All seniors were once in your shoes, so do not fear that you will not make it. While high school may appear like a warzone at times, we all will make it out alive on graduation day.
“And Then There Were None”
Autumn is a time of falling leaves and decreasing temperatures in LaPorte, Indiana, but for the theatre students at LaPorte High School, autumn is more accurately the time when their acting skills are put to the test.
The fall play, a yearly production conducted by the theatre program, is just around the corner. Miss Weisman, director, has chosen the play “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.
The auditions began on August 26, 2015, and callbacks were the next day. The cast has finally been chosen!
Judge Lawrence Wargrave, retired judge and self-appointed leader of the group, is being played by Donovan Barrier, senior.
Vera Claythorne, secretary to Mrs. Owen and known for her bouts of hysteria, is being played by Taylor Jump, senior.
Philip Lombard, a confident and flirtatious adventurer, is being played by Jack Saunders, senior.
Anthony Marston, a cocky and less-than-intelligent young man, is being played by Ross Henry, junior.
William Blore, a former police inspector who wants others to look up to him, is being played by Max Principe, junior.
Emily Brent, an old, religious woman stuck in her ways, is being played by Katt Yeaney, junior.
Doctor Armstrong, a gullible and timid doctor who is often suspicious of the other guests, is being played by Emily Gesino, sophomore.
General Mackenzie, a guilt-ridden old man who was once in the war, is being played by Trent Kaercher, junior.
Thomas Rogers, the dignified and proper butler of the residence, is being played by Josh Smith, junior.
Ethel Rogers, the butler’s wife and a frail, old woman, is being played by Betsy Searle, senior.
There will be three performance nights for this play: November 13th, 14th, and 15th. Come support the LaPorte High School theatre students as they act their hearts out in “And Then There Were None.”
La Porte High School Earns Notable Distinction
La Porte High School has earned a notable distinction by being recognized for the 2014-2015 IHSAA Sportsmanship Award for meeting and exceeding the point value standard in the IHSAA Sportsmanship program. LPHS is declared a “School of Character’ for meeting the sportsmanship criteria. LPHS met or exceeded all five criteria of the IHSAA/NAIA Character Challenge program. LPHS was one of ten other IHSAA member schools to earn this award. Our student-athletes, coaches, and entire Athletic Department are to be commended. LPHS will receive a sportsmanship banner representing this accomplishment.