What’s recently happened?
In preparation for the 2023-2024 school year, Lake Central (LC) High School held its annual Freshmen Rush on August 9. Incoming freshmen were able to come to the high school for a couple hours to take a look at where they will be spending their next four years.
To begin Freshmen Rush, the Class of 2027 gathered in the auditorium for a brief presentation. The office staff, guidance counselors, and other important faculty members were able to introduce themselves. Grace Collard, president of LC’s Mentorship Ambassador Program, also gave a quick speech about the plans for the day.
Upperclassmen from LC’s Mentorship Ambassador Program volunteered to guide groups of the new students around the big school. They were able to see the freshmen center, cafeterias, classrooms and much more.
In addition to the incredible tours they were given, the incoming freshmen were able to walk through a huge club fair. Clubs from LC set up tables down the biggest hallway in the school with informational flyers, posters, and candy to advertise.
Some of the clubs in attendance were Robotics Club, LC Theater, Student Council, Best Buddies and Publications. Lake Central Television even set up a fun photo booth! This was such a great way to present to the Class of 2027 what opportunities they will have access to throughout their years at LC.
Starting high school can definitely be a scary thing. That’s why Freshmen Rush is such a great event, and it calms the nerves of many.
“I feel way more prepared and informed after the tours. It is a big school, and it was a lot to take in, but after Freshman Rush and locker day, I am way more prepared and ready to start my Lake Central years,” Brady Shaffer, an incoming freshman, said.
What’s coming up?
Summer break is coming to an end, and the school year for LC is quickly approaching. On August 15, the first semester for the 2023-2024 school year will begin.
A lot goes into preparing for a new school year. LC’s amazing custodial and maintenance staff put a lot of time into bettering the building this summer. Teachers came in to decorate their rooms, and students purchased their school supplies.
Along with a new school year comes new teachers, new friends and new knowledge; it is all exciting but nerve-wracking. LC staff do the best they can to make sure that their students are prepared for their year.
Kristina Collard spent most of her summer traveling, but as the school year got closer, she has been at LC often and working with her broadcasting students to plan the school year out.
“I am so excited for the 2023-2024 school year. I love my summers, but I really love being with my students! I am eager to meet my new students, and I am thrilled to reunite with my returning students,” Collard said.
Community member spotlight:
For nine years, Officer Jerry Patrick was a smiling and friendly face for LC students and staff. Even though he may not be around the halls anymore, he is still determined to go above and beyond to keep students in the Lake County area as safe as possible.
Patrick’s career started off in the United States Marine Corps. He proudly served four years of active duty. Patrick then moved on to begin his law enforcement career with the Dyer Police Department. Ever since then, Patrick has been changing lives and evolving school security and safety.
While serving in several positions within the police department over the years, Patrick was also an important part of several other things. He served on the Northwest Regional Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team for 14 years and was a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Officer for five years. This was all before he was hired as the school resource officer for Lake Central High School and before he knew how many lives he would change.
As the school resource officer, there were so many things Patrick did to ensure that every student in the school was the safest they could be. Not only did he oversee and assist with implementing new safety protocols for thousands of teachers and students, he made sure he was there for everyone no matter what.
“I wanted to be the safety guy, I wanted to help everybody with anything they needed,” Patrick said.
Patrick retired from the Dyer Police Department, Northwest Regional SWAT Team, and Lake Central School Corporation in December of 2022. It was a very hard decision for him to make, but he still plans to continue to evolve the school safety and security industry.
“There was something missing for me. I wanted to still do more,” Patrick said.
Since retiring, Patrick has now moved on to work for InPRO Protection Specialists. Currently, he is the account and business development manager. This company has an incredibly strong law enforcement, military and security background and provides varieties of security services.
“Any kind of safety training we can do for any business, we customize it to them,” Patrick said.
He has been able to bring safety training that he’s done in schools to organizations to train staff and security guards. In addition to this, he has exciting things in the works for schools.
“My dream is to get into as many of our Lake County schools as I can and see what they’re lacking and what they need help with in terms of safety. If I can’t train them in it and I don’t know someone who can, I will find the right people to do it,” Patrick said.
Patrick has already been to seven schools in the area to help them train and assess their current safety protocols and programs. He plans to better the programs around here and venture out.
Patrick also offers presentations for vape awareness, bullying, and suicide prevention with InPRO. He loves being able to interact with students.
“I really enjoy teaching and training people on how to stay safe,” Patrick said.
Patrick plans to help as many people and schools as he can while working at InPRO.