Lake Loop
Ella Hart
Another great family weekend is in the books!
Most of our La Lumiere fall sports went out and played during this fun weekend. On Friday both JV and Varsity Volleyball had games in the Marsch. These games were against Berrien County Homeschool.
On Saturday the majority of the games took place. Starting the day off with the girls and boys cross country at New Prairie High School. Coming back home where we had boys tennis playing James Whitcomb Riley High School and girls soccer. They played Tippecanoe Valley High School. Finishing off sports for the weekend we had boys soccer against Heritage Christian High School!
During family weekend we brought back the tradition of if you win you swim. This means if you won your game you jumped in the lake!
For the volleyball games the theme was white out. For girls and boys soccer and tennis the theme was laker gear. This was one factor of the massive amount of school spirit over the weekend.
A quote from Lieve Siewert “I love family weekend because we get to watch and support all of our classmates’ sports! I also love family weekend because I get to meet all the parents and it makes our community come together.”
During family weekend it really was great to be a Laker!
Senior Nights
Ella Hart
Recently La Lumiere (La Lu) wrapped up the 2025-26 fall athletic season by celebrating the seniors.
The first senior night was on September 15 celebrating girls golf. The golf team’s celebrated seniors were Gabriella and Isabella Robles. Following girls golf was the senior night for boys tennis on September 20. The boys tennis seniors were Josh Jaracz and Andriy Romanets.
The following week was also filled with senior nights. Celebrations took place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday! Starting on Wednesday September 24, Volleyball held their senior night. The theme was pink out and the spirits were high to celebrate the six seniors.
When asking Van Rucker what her favorite part about being a volleyball senior this year was, she said “I loved connecting, meeting and making fun new friendships with all the underclassmen.”
On Thursday Girls soccer celebrated nine seniors. The seniors on the girls soccer team were Carmen Navarro, Erin Morrison, Ruby Nelson, Araceli Martinez, Eloise Verdun, Olivia Ross, Maddie Grzywacz, Nina Fontaine, and Eve Khalil. The theme was USA! The game was a great way to end the season.
To conclude the fall sport senior nights was boys soccer. The team celebrated their senior night on September 30. The boys soccer team celebrated their 11 seniors.
Congratulations to all the fall sport seniors!
Rosh Hashana
Maiyah Lewis
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish New Year, which is celebrated over the span of two days at the start of the Hebrew month, also known as Tisheri. The holiday usually falls in September or October, and begins at sundown and lasts for ten days, marking a time for reflection and prayer.
During this time, people usually attend prayer services at synagogues, and eat special foods like rugelach or apples dipped in honey. Some traditions include the following of lighting candles or shofar, which is a ram’s horn being blown like a trumpet. One of La Lumiere’s (La Lu) own, Maddox McCready shared her insight on Rosh Hashanah and how it affects her.
“It is important to me, because I can continue to do good things in this world,” McCready, a junior, said. At La Lu, we make an effort to learn about our school’s cultures, and Rosh Hashanah is a great opportunity to spread different ideas among the student body. Two years ago, during Rosh Hashanah, Madame Sendziak and Mrs. E planned a Sukkot, Feast of Booths, for all students to enjoy, with donuts in the Moore House. La Lu also allows for any boarding students to be able to take a trip to a synagogue so they are able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
We are a People Who Tell Stories
Mr. Buchanan
“How do we begin?” Julia Alvarez asked the students and community members in the auditorium. It was 7:30 Eastern time and the auditorium was crowded with high schoolers, college literature majors, professors, book club members, and Julia Alvarez fans.
“We pray,” she said, citing the tradition of Mayan weavers at the loom, “for the intellect to see the true patterns.”
On September 26, six La Lumiere students went to hear Julia Alvarez deliver a keynote Humanities address at St. Mary’s College. Rini Polimus and Kara Kutansky were honored earlier in the afternoon with a writing workshop with Alvarez, who praised the young student writers in the South Bend area later that evening for their good questions and sense of humor.
Alvarez was drawn into writing by reading about Princess Scherezade in sixth grade after being given a reading list of classic texts by her sixth grade teacher, an invaluable mentor in Alvarez’s life. Alvarez looked to the princess weaving stories and leaving the listener in suspense to live another day as a model of the power of words, even in difficult circumstances. Her talk was a tribute to the stories we tell, to the identities we navigate, and to the human spirit that leads everyday people to stand up to dictators and bullies. Alvarez, poet, novelist, and essayist, has won numerous prizes, and she had one of her novels turned into a film starring Salma Hayek.
Dung Dao, sophomore, was enthusiastic about the author’s talk. “I locked in early,” he said while leaving the theater. “I love the way she balanced between her home country and US culture in her writing.”
On the ride home, in the silence of the car after the evening lecture, students were a bit more inspired to go back to campus and to be those who tell stories in search of the true patterns behind the stories.
Cheer
Tiarah Alexander
One of the most exciting Lumina activities at La Lumiere is the cheer club. Cheer is about supporting the basketball team and encouraging the student section to join in. The students on the cheer team have been practicing nonstop in order to perfect the Marsch Madness dance routine featuring in October.
Per Ran Kato, one of the two cheer captains, “We are currently preparing for the Marsch Madness dance at the end of October. When I joined cheer last year, I loved how the whole school came together during the basketball games. This year, I hope we can bring even more energy to the student section and make it a great cheer/basketball season.”
Cheer/basketball season is truly an exhilarating experience, where the La Lu community unites to bring enthusiasm and positivity to the court. Be sure to come on October 30 to encourage the cheerleaders and basketball team!