What’s Recently Happened:
Lowell High School (LHS) started off the second semester by beginning the process of preparing students for the 2022-2023 school year. On Thursday, January 6, LHS held a Career and Technical Education (CTE) fair for current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors where they displayed the wide range of classes the school has to offer.
The CTE fair took place during the morning hours of the school day and gave students the opportunity to get a glimpse at the different career pathways and classes that are available to be added to their schedules as the new school year approaches in the near future.
The LHS cafeteria, fieldhouse, and foyer were filled with different booths and stations, run by teachers and seniors, for each CTE class offered by the school. Some popular booths included the art, criminal justice, trades, and radio/tv programs. Stations like the welding and criminal justice programs offered hands-on activities for the students interested in joining the programs in the upcoming school year, which proved to be a big hit.
Along with having the ability to stop and learn about the different types of CTE courses during the fair, students also met in the auditorium and received a presentation and lecture on the process of scheduling from LHS counselors and administrators. Within this presentation, the freshman, sophomores, and juniors were able to get an answer to any clarifying questions and reviewed graduation requirements for each grade level.
This year’s CTE fair was a great success and has resulted in many students expressing a sense of relief and confidence while facing the stress of scheduling classes for their next year of LHS. Everyone involved, from the teachers to the students showing an interest in their courses, displayed great amounts of Red Devil Pride and has everyone returning to LHS in the next school year excited to get to work and learn about future career paths.
What's Coming Up:
In the upcoming weeks within LHS, students will be meeting with counselors one-on-one to finalize their schedules for the next school year. Counselors will be making sure that each student is choosing classes that best fit their chosen career pathway and benefit their educational future. Students and their families will also have the opportunity to ask any questions about different scheduling options and opportunities that pertain to their personal schedules.
Counselors will meet starting with the class of 2023 and make sure that the soon-to-be seniors are completely comfortable with the classes and pathways they have chosen for their final year at LHS. After all the current juniors have met and finalized their choices, sophomores and freshmen will be given the same opportunity.
Although looking into the 2022-2023 school year may be a bit frightening for students, meeting with their counselor to go over their schedules, credits, and graduation pathways prove to take a weight off of the Red Devils’ shoulders and allow them to feel better about their educational futures at LHS.
Staff Spotlight
LHS is full of staff members that are not afraid to get involved in anything that proves to be beneficial for the school and students, and Joseph Gianotti is definitely no exception. With 25 years of teaching at Lowell under his belt, Gianotti represents what it means to be a Lowell Red Devil by showing immense amounts of passion for his work.
“Lowell is the only place I’ve ever taught and the only place I’ve ever wanted to teach. I love being a Red Devil. Almost everything I’ve ever personally achieved has been a result of the opportunities that LHS has afforded me.” Gianotti said.
Along with teaching AP English Language, English Credit Recovery, and Education Professions I, Gianotti also coached the boys' tennis team for ten years. He even had the opportunity to win three sectionals and a regional and have one of his double's teams go into the final four. He has also served in several teacher and staff committees within the school district.
“The one that I’m most passionate about is our Grading Practices Committee. I will keep fighting for the message that 90% of homework is detrimental to students; I will keep fighting to cut homework, almost entirely, out of a student’s day," he said.
Gianotti has also been the Director of Academic Teams for 22 years, which allowed him and students to win five state championships, and two teams qualify for nationals. Although he has had many successes while coaching and directing extracurricular activities, Gianotti says his fondest memories and moments at LHS is when students communicate how he’s changed their lives.
“When I get those letters, I put them in a ‘feel good’ drawer. This job is not about me at all; it’s about my kids, and when I found out that I’ve positively impacted someone, that’s my most impactful moment," he said.
Gianotti is well known amongst Lowell students as being one of the most impactful and influential educators within the building. He effortlessly shows everyone around him that his main goal is to care for his students, their futures, successes, and overall well-being. Students express how his class is where they feel the most comfortable, accepted, and stress-free. Gianotti is an all-around outstanding teacher and is so by showing a genuine passion for those around him.
Student Spotlight
Lowell Junior Lily Devalk is a student that always has a contagious smile and positive personality that contributes to the amazing community at Lowell. She is an amazing student who continually proves to go above and beyond in every task she is given.
Devalk loves to perform and spends a lot of time on stage. She has been a part of the LHS theater program since her freshman year and has since been in two plays and three musicals. In her time out of school, she is a dancer at Indiana Ballet Theatre in Merrillville, where she contributes to five major performances done by the organization, displaying a variety of dance styles.
Devalk said that a reason she shows school pride is because of the amount of opportunities the school provides for her and her peers.
“Something that makes me proud to be a Red Devil is the amount of different classes you can take. We have such a big variety of classes that if you are interested in something we probably have a class for it. I think this is really cool because not many schools offer some of the classes we have,” Devalk said.