Vivaan Patel
Lake Loop
The weekend of September 6 was a busy one for the Lakers! La Lumiere’s (La Lu) faculty and students were able to participate in the dragon boat races in La Porte on Stone lake. The dragon boat race, hosted by Dunebrook, is a platform used for raising awareness and funds for child abuse within the area. In the dragon boat race, La Lu ended up coming 1st in two of the three heats.
During the school week, students also stayed busy with two heads cup activities. The first being dodge ball with bowling pins, where six nominees had to go onto the playing ground, and protect their bowling pins from flying dodge balls. The first team to knock down all three of the opposing team’s pins wins.
The first match was Bunting vs Webster. Both teams were originally tied for first, but in the end, Bunting took the win. The second match was Sullivan against Moore, which was an equally intense match, but Sullivan came out with the win.The finale was Sullivan against Bunting, where Sullivan took out all 3 bowling pins without losing a single one, resulting in a nice sweet victory.
The second activity was field hockey. With a small playing field and a lot of pumped up players, this was a fun game to watch. In the second match, Bunting and Moore went into a sudden death shootout, where Bunting took the win. In the finale, the same thing happened! Neither Webster nor Bunting refused to give up, and the shootout was even longer, with many close goals and saves, but in the end, Webster took the win.
Ella Hart
La Lu Wins
As the first few weeks of school are rolling, so are the La Lumiere sports!
Boys soccer has been on a roll. They started with tying their game 1-1 on August 28 against Andrews Academy. This was the first home game of the La Lumiere fall season. A few days later on September 2, they had another great game against HAST. The ending score was 6-2 leading to their first win of the year.
Boys tennis is also having a good start to the year. On September 4 they won 3-2 against New Prairie high school. And on September 6, they came 3rd out of 8 teams at the New Prairie Invitational.
Varsity Volleyball is on fire. Starting the season off at Portage Christian School on August 28. They won 3-0 marking their first win in the books! Keeping the streak going on August 30 at South Bend Washington high school they won 3-1. And the trend keeps going. The Lakers won at Dyer high school on September 4th with another 3-0.
Finally, the varsity girls got to show off their streak at home for the first time all season against South Bend Career Academy. They went 3-0 once again. What a night for the girls on the court and thanks to the La Lumiere students who were on the court cheering them on. Varsity volleyball is starting their season off strong!
One of Varsity’s own Adri Forker says “My favorite part is the home games. I say this because the gym is full of people and a fantastic student section!”
Maiyah Lewis
Culture Corner
Hispanic Heritage Month marks the day of independence from Spain for many South American Spanish countries, recognizing their resilience and strength. This celebration lasts from September 15 to October 15 each year in the United States. It honors the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
To incorporate these traditions and immense culture, La Lumiere has taken it to the next level with cultural chapels, allowing hispanic students to make a presentation of their home country and be able to share it with the rest of the school. In these presentations, they address food, traditions, and sometimes bring snacks for everyone to try.
La Lumiere also has an annual event called the taste, which allows everyone to express their culture and traditions through food and dancing. Hispanic students are able to share their culture and food through this event. One of La Lumiere’s very own staff, Mrs. Rivas is originally from Chile. She gave us an insight to what she does for Hispanic Heritage Month. She makes her famous empanadas, following a three day festival in Chile of celebrating and honoring the past with certain dances like, cueca. Families and the Chilean community all come together.
Mrs. Rivas stated that “It is very important to celebrate independence with big parties, foods, and dancing because it is important to remember the sacrifice people made to gain their freedom.”
More than just a celebration of culture, this month is also about unity and pride. It allows everyone to learn more about the struggles, resilience, and triumphs of Hispanic communities in the U.S, while also encouraging younger generations to embrace and share their heritage. This month is all about celebrating and honoring the people who fought for their independence, and coming together as one people to celebrate their immense victory.
Tiarah Alexander
Illuminating Lumina
A popular Lumina activity at La Lumiere (La Lu), Film Club, has kicked off the year by watching the movie “Memento”. The film is about a man, Lenny, who suffers from short term memory loss and therefore uses notes to track down his wife’s murderer.
A member of the club, Lucy Horn, comments, “I like this movie because it’s filmed differently than a normal movie would be. Instead of being filmed in chronological order, it’s filmed in reverse order with it starting from the ending and ending from the beginning.”
The participants in the club discuss the movies they watch and respectfully debate each others’ ideas and perspectives. This offers valuable insight on everyone’s thoughts on the film, and they can form a collective opinion on the topic.
The club is run by Kendall Roch, a current Junior at La Lu. She was inspired by graduated senior, Ilaria von Eschenbach, who created the club, to continue its legacy. Kendall enjoyed watching the movies and learning about them in her sophomore year, which gave her something to look forward to every Wednesday. This year, she hopes to replicate that feeling for everyone in the group.
Kendall’s main objective for Film Club is to “share really interesting movies and films with people that hopefully have a lasting impact on at least a few people in the group.”
The club typically meets in Room 2, and is monitored by Ken Andert, the Calculus and Physics teacher. Kendall brings snacks such as chips and cookies every Wednesday in order to boost the members’ energy after a long school day. There have been several positive reports and feedback on the activity, so make sure to check it out!
Matt Buchanan
Life On Campus: S’more Fun
Living on campus, making once-in-a-lifetime friendships, and enjoying the beauties of the seasons–all these
benefits make boarding life what it is at La Lumiere (La Lu).
As the weather crisps towards fall, La Lu boarders have been loving the weather, hanging out and forming the kinds of friendships best forged on leisurely Saturday afternoons kayaking or playing volleyball outdoors or hooping it up in the Fieldhouse, with s’mores for dessert by a Saturday evening bonfire. Everyone has a favorite weekend pastime, from off-campus adventures with Ms. Frankle to see King Lear to a trip with Mr. Von Der Mehden to the beach to taking in a South Bend Cubs game and chatting with major league stars of the future with Mr. Heffron to the predictable comfort of the weekly Walmart, Meijer, or food runs. If you ask some of the residents in Newman, though, they will tell you that it’s definitely all about the food.
Tiarah Alexander, a junior living in the Newman dorm, says, “I love the food runs! It’s a good chance to socialize, but most importantly, to eat food.”
Socializing and snacks do seem to abound on weekends around La Lu. What is it about food that brings out laughter, stories, and fun? On the last Saturday in August, nightfall on campus found students standing around a campfire, chatting and roasting marshmallows, debating the let-it-burn versus the slow-roasting approach to the perfectly crisped delight, bursting out in impromptu karaoke sessions, and in general enjoying good company.
Sara Young
Family Weekend
Whether you’re in it for the food or the fun, La Lumiere’s biggest fall event is coming up. Family Weekend, hosted on September 19-20, is fast approaching. From 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, La Lumiere’s Sullivan Field and historic Marsch Gymnasium will be hosting a multitude of sporting and community events.
On Friday the 19, Family Weekend will kick off with the Fishing Derby, hosted on Corner Pond at 4:00 p.m. After that, the Marsch will be having both a JV and Varsity Girl’s Volleyball game. To conclude the night, you can head to Sullivan Field for a nice dinner and dessert with the rest of the La Lu community.
Saturday the 20 will then be a fun packed day, starting off with a Boys and Girls Cross Country meet and the Laker 5K at 8:00 a.m. Throughout the rest of the day there will be a Boys Soccer game, a Girls Soccer game, and a Boys Tennis game. To conclude the night, there will be another community dinner and dessert, before the Senior Bonfire.
The Senior Bonfire is one of La Lumiere’s most renowned traditions, where the seniors of that school year come together to unite a bonfire, with the rest of the La Lu community watching and celebrating. The bonfire represents the whole theme of Family Weekend: unity.
“It’s a very important event where we can get together, our families come from a large amount of places… The real opportunity is to come together.” The head of school, Mr. Webster, shares his thoughts on the true importance of an event like Family Weekend.
With Family Weekend approaching, it’s important to remember the event’s true purpose. The unifying of our La Lumiere family through a weekend of fun filled activities and meaningful connections is Family Weekend’s goal.
Letter from the Editor:
Welcome to the first edition of The Torch for the 2025-2026 school year. My name is Ella Stankewicz and I will be your Editor-in-Chief for the second year of the revival of La Lumiere’s student run newspaper. I am currently a junior day student from Chesterton, Indiana and have attended La Lumiere for all three years so far.
With the help of the English Department Chair, Matt Buchanan, and an amazing team of writers, we hope to put forth a steady news source for La Lumiere’s community. Throughout this school year, you can expect to see every new edition to The Torch under a section on the La Lumiere School website entitled, “Read The Torch” under the broad section of “Academics.” In addition to the online version, be on the lookout for emailed newsletters, and an instagram that will announce new editions of the paper.
The Torch is meant to be read by all members of the La Lumiere community, including staff, students, parents, and alumni. The newspaper is open to anyone interested in the current activities surrounding La Lu’s student life. Editions will include information about sports, culture, and any upcoming events.
Thank you all for your support, and I hope everyone will enjoy reading these articles about La Lumiere’s great community!
Thank you all,
Ella Stankewicz