Senior Banquet
On April 17, Lake Central’s Senior Banquet was held at Villa Cesare at 5:30 p.m. Students were able to wear themed costumes and dinner was served around 6:30 p.m.
“My favorite part about Senior Banquet was doing the dance [that went with my Napoleon Dynamite costume],” Nathan Zajac (12) said.
After an online survey, senior awards were handed out to students who received the most votes from their peers. Senior banquet was something seniors were able to enjoy exclusively before their commencement on May 28.
Performing Arts
The Wind Ensemble, Symphonic band and Jazz band held a concert on April 15.
“I think Jazz I sounded exceptionally amazing. I liked ‘Parkour’ mainly because there is a jazz section,” Ian Otic (9) said.
During the concert, musicians in all groups received a chance to perform. The students practiced in class and after school to prepare for the event.
“Overall the percussion section played very well, and we were in time with the band. There were no huge tears in the tempo,” Ian McGrath (12) said.
ISSMA is coming up soon, and the students will be able to find out whether or not they get to advance in the competition.
Zoology Dissection
In Mrs. Lisa Moreno’s Zoology class, students are able to get first-hand experience on the dissection of animals and the way they work. In the past, the class has dissected sharks, frogs and on April 24 they began dissecting pigeons.
“I like doing [this dissection] so students can get a better idea of the digestion and diet and piece together the anatomy of the pigeon. I think it is fascinating, because most people don’t get to see this kind of stuff,” Mrs. Lisa Moreno, Science, said.
Zoology is an elective and is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. It counts as a science credit.
Boys Golf Tournament
On April 14, LC’s boys golf team won a tournament over the Munster Mustangs and the Highland Trojans. Lake Central received a score of 151, while Munster received 200 and Highland received 185.
The team is currently ranked second in DAC this year behind Crown Point. “We are going to be decent this year, we lost a lot of seniors since last year, but we are going to keep working to get better as a team,” Andrew Hegan (9) said.
Girls Softball
On Saturday April 4, the girls’ softball team played against the Kimberly Papermakers from WI. This was the first time the girls played a team out of state and managed to secure an 11-5 win.
“We have never played an out-of-state team before, so we didn’t know what to expect. We just played our game, and our hitting really came together for this game,” Sydney Scherzinger (12) said.
ACT Testing
On April 28, juniors were given the opportunity to take the ACT at Lake Central. Freshmen and sophomores were given the chance to take a practice test and seniors had several options for the day.
Seniors were given several academic opportunities such as talking to representatives from Indiana Northwest, Purdue Calumet and Ivy Tech. The admissions counselors had the ability to make immediate decisions on admission. Other options for seniors ranged from Credit Recovery Lab and Graduation Prep to AP & Final exam test prep. AP Testing begins on May 4.
MAY
Prom
Students traveled to the Halls of St. George on May 2 to attend Lake Central’s annual prom. The theme, “Across the Universe,” was planned by Junior Class Cabinet.
“I’m the [Junior Class Cabinet] President. Planning Prom was really exciting. I heard everyone’s opinions, and we took majority rules basically on everything [we decided],” Niji Shah (11) said.
Students who attend Prom will be able to enjoy music by a DJ and a plethora of food options.
“The menu is the best. There is spinach and feta puffs, which is going to be really good. There is baked ravioli, and other really, really good food,” Shah said.
Those who planned the dance are looking forward to seeing all of their hard work be put into action.
“I’m pumped, even though I am not going. It’s going to be really exciting to see everyone there; I hope they have fun because a lot of work went into planning it, and it’s going to be really fun,” Shah said.
AP Testing
After the hustle and bustle of the prom season, those students enrolled in AP classes had to begin studying for the exams they have been preparing for all year. The AP testing season lasts from Monday, May 4 until Friday, May 15.
“My AP tests are the week after [prom] so I know I will have time to study for my three AP tests,” Sean Meyer (11) said.
The purpose of AP testing is to allow students to achieve college credit. Students take the AP class during the school year. In May, the students tackle the AP exam which includes cumulative information from the year. Each test was $91 and is graded on a 1-5 scale.
“I am taking the AP English and AP [Biology] test. The part I am most nervous about would be the short response for the AP Biology test. The reason it scares me is because it’s so open-ended and can cover material from any part of the year,” Shannon Hearne (11) said.
Theatre Banquet
The annual Theatre Banquet will take place at Andorra Banquets on Friday, May 8. The theme of the banquet is Carnival.
“The theme is Carnival. We are going to have cotton candy, candy, and our center pieces are popcorn boxes with candy. You still have to look [formal],” Stephanie O’Drobinak (10) said.
The banquet includes myriad activities such as dinner, inductions into the National Thespian Society, a senior video and speeches from thespian alumni.
“At the banquet, awards are given out to honor thespians. Also, new members of the theatre company are inducted to become thespians,” Emily Badger.
Senior Honors Night
In order to recognize the seniors who have achieved academic excellence, Lake Central is hosting their annual Senior Honors Night on May 13.
“I am looking forward to senior honors night because my parents are going to be there and it will be nice for everyone to see all the hard work we do, and we can be recognized for it,” Hannah Sonner (12) said.
The event is invite only. If a student receives a scholarship from the school they are attending or are graduating summa, magna or cum laude, they are invited to the event. At this event, they will receive a certificate and their respective tassels, hat, cape or robe.
STUDENT SHOUT OUT
Payal Bhatt (10) has managed to find a new outlet to express herself. She does Bollywood dance, and her dancing is intertwined with her culture.
“I do Indian dancing, Bollywood dancing, and I've been doing it since I was in fifth grade. [I dance with] this high school group. There’s this group called Hum, and in Hum there are different groups. You can form different groups and do dances with them. It’s kind of like you can just do it with your friends, and there’s a lot of freedom to it. [Through dancing] you can get to know your culture better, and you can do it with your friends. It’s really fun, and it’s just something different.” Bhatt said.
Bhatt performs for Diwali, which is a big holiday and usually happens in November. Bhatt also performs at Hum Night and at IACC - the Indian American Culture Center in Merrillville.
Photos by: Emma Degroot, Olivia Oster, Jenn Mohamed, Gianna Mills and Erin Dosen