Erin Parker

Sitting in his office, surrounded by family photos, Mark Francesconi looks the part of the confident and capable administrator. This is because Francesconi brings a wealth of knowledge to the table while serving in his third year as assistant...

From financial advisory to CFO to superintendent, Rande Thorpe, current interim superintendent of La Porte Community School Corporation, has been a jack-of-all-trades; however, of all the hats he has worn, Thorpe is starting to realize that his...

I went on Saturday night to see 12 Years a Slave with my friend. We had been talking about seeing this movie for months, and it did not disappoint; however, neither of us was prepared for the way this movie would hit us. The sheer brutality and...

Here is what I know. Life is about the little moments. As I sit here watching the snow blanket the ground and watch Sandy Hook parents on Oprah speak of the remarkable son they lost, I am yet again reminded of these little moments. We all need to...

In life, we have two choices. We can either be a Tigger or an Eeyore. It's truly as simple as that. Let's take a look at our options... Tigger: These people are full of life and excitement. They are positive and meet a challenge head on. Life is...

Education no longer is the cookie cutter representation of a teacher droning on for 70 minutes while students copy down the lecture word for word. Education, like us, has evolved, and the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) at La Porte High School is a...

For a good portion of my life, I have done what is comfortable for me. Comfortable meant taking the easy road, and it also meant knowing I’d always be good at what I was doing. Comfortable didn’t always mean what I wanted to do deep down in my...

Today focuses around one of my favorite authors: Maya Angelou. I often dream of being in a room with her for an entire day while she showers me with advice and stories about absolutely anything and everything. I find her to be mesmerizing and...

I apologize for not blogging lately. I've been submerged in my work at school, but this column is always on my mind. There is something that is in my heart that I want to convey to all of you. What you need to become who you want and achieve what you...

A close friend gave me an idea for a topic to blog about, but I have been staring at a computer screen for days not knowing which keys to press first. I knew writing about this would be cause for me to be slightly vulnerable and really put myself out...