GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Spring traditions, activities, and more at La Lumiere

What’s recently happened? 

Spring at La Lumiere High School (La Lu) has officially begun. This year, the Lakers were invited to participate in three competitive team sports, along with the option of joining intramurals, fitness, or one of the many academic clubs offered during the spring season. 

This year again, La Lumiere girls will have the opportunity to participate in tennis. Last season, the Lakers went 8-0 winning every single regular season game they participated in. With many new players on varsity and JV, along with a new coach, the team is full of new faces but hopes to continue with the winning mentality. 

“Tennis is such a fun sport that I know I’ll be able to continue playing for the rest of my life. To have the opportunity to play in such a competitive environment year after year in high school has really made tennis even more exciting,” Junior Erin Morrison said.

The boys golf team also is looking forward to starting its season. Last year, the team was fresh with mainly freshmen and is looking forward to continuing its success this year now that the boys have played a full season. The boys are especially looking forward to participating in the Uebele Invitational at Beechwood. Last season, the boys took eighth place out of the 23 teams and are hoping to win it all this season.

“It was super exciting to place that well in the tournament last season, but I’m even more excited to continue and work to do even better in the coming seasons,” Sophomore Camden Tegt said.

Also this past month, La Lumiere students were able to experience a cultural chapel during Ramadan. Cultural Chapels are a time when the whole school meets and is able to learn about a certain culture or faith tradition that someone from the community celebrates. 

Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims, a faith practice in which many La Lu students participate. Khalida Khairy is a senior international boarding student from Afghanistan. Khairy was able to teach the school community more about Ramadan along with the ways that she celebrates it. By learning from personal experiences, La Lumiere students are able to envision how boarding students’ lives, such as Khairy’s life, are outside of the school.

“My favorite part of Ramadan is afterward when the adults give all of the children money as a part of the celebration,” Khairy said.

What’s coming up?

April is the start of many traditions at La Lumiere. The Taste of La Lumiere will take place on Saturday, April 12. The Taste of La Lumiere is a long-standing tradition where students cook together to show the community their cuisine. 

This year’s event will host over 80 dishes from six different continents and numerous countries throughout the world, including the United States. Every year, those from the public and La Lu community are invited to vote on their favorite dish. The winner will be announced at the morning meeting after The Taste of La Lumiere. 

The Taste of La Lumiere this year is run by Hospitality Prefect Tobin Busch and Senior Advisor for Student Services and Academic Events Susie Eguizabal. Along with those two and Global Communities Prefect, Aneta Vozárová the La Lumiere community is excited for the event. Vozárová and Eguizabal together have coordinated a series of cultural dances, prayers, and welcomes in many different languages and religions. 

“I am excited for The Taste because I love to showcase the work that I’ve completed to bring the international students together. As an international student, The Taste is fun to serve food with friends, but also serves as an outlet for me to show my friends more about my culture and the food that brings the community together,” Vozárová said.

Another great La Lu tradition is the prom for sophomore, junior, and senior students. On April 26, the students will celebrate the annual prom at Uptown Social in Michigan City. The prom committee is looking forward to showcasing all of the hard work that they have done to create a magical Met Gala-themed night. 

As spring begins and the end of the school year approaches, La Lu traditions are in full bloom. The end of the school year serves as a culmination to celebrate the class of 2025’s experience. 

Staff spotlight: 

Stephanie Hill is the director of admissions and financial aid at La Lumiere. Hill started working at La Lumiere in the summer of 2024. Previously to La Lu, Hill worked as the director of admissions in Monterey, California. 

As the director of admissions at La Lumiere, Hill closely works with incoming students. Hill loves the community and student body within the school.

“​​Our students are kind and always look out for each other. They bring a school spirit like nothing I have seen before,” Hill said.

Over the summer, the admissions team at La Lumiere puts on an event called Freshman Experience.

Freshman Experience serves as an opportunity for incoming freshmen to spend a week on campus living as boarding students. During this time, freshmen get to meet friends and take classes to start their La Lu experience. They participate in Heads’ Cup activities, a series of activities that helps the school community connect. The students also participated in grade-level activities and small group experiences to meet all of their classmates. 

This year was Hill’s first time experiencing the orientation week activities and games played at the school. 

“My favorite tradition this year was the rock paper scissors competition during orientation. All of the Heads’ Cup competitions have been great. I love to see the teamwork and school spirit,” Hill said.

Student spotlight: 

Ilaria von Eschenbach is a day student from Granger. At La Lumiere, von Eschenbach serves as Academic Prefect and runs the Lumina Program, Film Club, and the annual La Lumiere Film Festival. 

As Academic Perfect, von Eschenbach works with the Academic programs to run the peer tutoring program at La Lu. This allows students who need help in a certain subject or class to work with other peers who have completed that subject during their free periods or tutorials. 

Other things that von Eschenbach does as Academic Prefect include creating the monthly library book display and coordinating study breaks during finals week. The library book display is chosen by both von Eschenbach and the Academic Council to curate a diverse collection of books that have to do with the prospective month or what is currently happening in the world.

“Overseeing peer tutoring and the Lumina program has shown me the values of community-driven learning. It’s inspiring to witness students thrive when given the right tools and the freedom to explore what excites them,” von Eschenbach said.

As a sophomore, von Eschenbach started to run Film Club, a standing La Lumiere program. The Film Club meets once a week and studies a different film genre each week. This includes comedies, horror films, science fiction, romance, drama, and action. In the club, von Eschenbach teaches students about the genre so they can watch a film from that genre as well.

As a part of Film Club, the students who are a part of the club are required to be a part of a short film for Film Fest. This year, Film Fest is on Wednesday, April 27, and will feature a variety of films that students submit. Some films are sequels such as the hit film, "JB’s Rabies 2," a continuation of "JB’s Rabies" from last year.