What’s recently happened?
Spring sports have hit the ground running at Lowell High School (LHS).
Athletes have been anxiously waiting for their seasons to start, and the time has finally come. Sports like tennis, softball, baseball, and track and field recently began. Other sports, like volleyball and cheer, are also getting ready to launch in the coming weeks.
Along with this, on April 19, LHS’s Academic Super Bowl team made history with their scores at the Regional Competition.
They went up against 12 other school teams like Crown Point High School, Munster High School, Lake Central High School, Andrean High School, and others, and still received the highest scores.
The LHS English Team, Social Studies Team, Math Team, and Fine Arts Team all placed first overall. Likewise, the Science Team placed second overall. A few of these teams are heading to compete at the State Competition in the next few weeks.
What’s coming up?
LHS is hosting its highly anticipated prom on April 29, and the theme this year is the “Starlight Gala.”
Prom is going to take place at St. Peter & Paul Macedonian Banquet Hall from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The tickets for this event were sold during all lunch periods from April 5-12 for $65.00.
Last year, the theme was “Enchanted Forest,” and everything was decorated very nicely.
The LHS juniors and seniors are eagerly awaiting this event, and if it's anything like last year’s, it’s sure to be a memorable experience.
“I’m very excited to go to my senior year prom. I can’t wait to see how everything looks and to dance with my friends,” said Miranda Dominguez, a senior at LHS.
The LHS Student Council has been planning this prom and putting in the work for many months to ensure that it will be successful.
Staff spotlight:
Shannon Smith has been a teacher at LHS for 19 years.
She spent most of her early life in Lowell, Indiana but attended The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities at Ball State University for her junior and senior years of high school. She later received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington. That said, Smith did not know what she wanted to do at the time she graduated.
She moved back to Lowell and received her teaching license at Indiana University Northwest, intending to only teach until she decided what she wanted to do.
However, she fell in love with teaching and is glad that she ended up on the education path.
“After teaching for 19 years, I am still loving every day of my job. In fact, many days it isn't like a job. How blessed am I that I wake up in the morning looking forward to seeing ‘my family’ at school?” said Smith.
She enjoys every aspect of her job, but what drives her to continue wanting to be an educator is the students. Smith makes connections with all of her students and always ensures that she is providing them with the best learning experience and environment possible.
“My favorite thing about being a teacher is the relationships I make with my students. They are my ‘why’,” said Smith.
Outside of the classroom, Smith is an avid billiards player and is even in a pool league. Through this league, she has won three trips to Las Vegas, which have allowed her to meet many new people and embark on different adventures.
Student spotlight:
Jillian Koteles is currently a senior at LHS who has spent much of her last year trying to spread the message of unity.
Koteles is an officer of the LHS Culture and Diversity Club where she creates all types of materials and helps out where she's needed.
Her biggest role is setting up the monthly bulletin board that caters to what each month celebrates. For example, the board has displayed educational information for Disability Awareness Month, Women's History Month, Black History Month, and much more.
“My biggest accomplishment is receiving a scholarship for my academic performance and starting an educational bulletin board displayed in the middle of the school that I change monthly,” said Koteles.
She balances many things in her life, both in school and out of school. For this reason, Koteles would describe herself as a very determined person who gets things done.
Outside of school, Koteles spends much of her time being a nanny for a couple of kids, which she heavily enjoys.
Being that she is a senior, Koteles has planned out much of what her future will look like. She is going to attend Purdue University Northwest and major in elementary education.
“Focus on doing what you love, not what other people want you to do,” said Koteles.
Throughout her time in high school, the biggest thing that she has learned is to live your life for yourself and not let anyone else dictate what you do. Koteles says that high school was difficult for her, but she learned this valuable lesson that she would like to share with others.