What’s Recently Happened?
Some argue that Friday Night Lights is their favorite part of high school and it is finally back. The Lake Central High School (LC) Indians have started the season with two wins and two losses, which puts them in fifth place in the Duneland Athletic Conference. With only four home games in the 2024 season, the tribe made it a precedent to open their season strong at home with a 38-0 win against Munster High School on August 23.
Head Coach Pete Koulianos and team first traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan to play Catholic Central High School in a non-conference match-up on August 30 and took a close loss with a final score of 17-10. After a week of practice and some time going back to the drawing board, the Indians defeated Portage High School in Portage on September 6, with a final score of 23-21.
LC has always found a rival in Crown Point High School (CP) throughout many sports, so the September 13 game against CP was a highly anticipated game for both sides. Although it was a hard fought fight, the tribe fell short in Crown Point with a 42-14 loss.
After this long away stretch, LC comes back home to play La Porte High School in a conference matchup on September 20. Students, staff, and families are ready to cheer the boys back to victory.
This has been a promising start for the football program, and each game is getting the team more prepared for the upcoming post-season in late October.
What’s Coming Up?
Students applying to college have the opportunity to network with admission counselors from varying colleges and different recruiting officers from the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy. Schools that will be at Lake Central include: Chicago State University, Manchester University, University of Maine, Prairie State College, North Central College, Columbia College Chicago, Hanover College, and Concordia University-Wisconsin.
Each university has a unique way of talking with students, whether it is a meeting after school to discuss the admissions process or simply sitting at a booth in the hallway to offer advice or answer questions.
In order to show the different pathways one can take post high school, active members of different branches of the military are also present at LC to answer questions.
Seniors and early graduates are currently having their senior meetings with counselors to help solidify plans, whether it be applying for college, entering the trades, joining the military, etc.
Many college application deadlines for early action are November 1, so guidance counselors seek to meet all students in a timely fashion before deadlines approach.
Staff Spotlight:
Mrs. Morgan Hirschfield has started the year off right solving crimes in her second year teaching at Lake Central. Although it is only her second year teaching at LC, it is her sixth year teaching.
“I used to teach middle school, but I really like being a part of students' lives where it’s a big transition. You guys are getting ready to go to college, and if I can help you with transitioning into adulthood in any sort of way that is really special,” Hirschfield said.
For many teachers, including Hirschfield, teaching was not her first career choice, and one that came to her in a rather surprising way.
“When I was in college, I was either going to be in forensic science, medicine, or teaching, and teaching was kind of the third option. I worked in a hospital and every single doctor I worked with told me not to do it. There were a lot of unhappy doctors, so I decided to look into teaching a little bit more,” Hirschfield said.
After shadowing different teachers and seeing the impact that teachers make on students every day, it became a clear decision for Hirschfield. Forensic science is a semester-long science elective offered to juniors and seniors, and Hirschfield has done a great job of giving her own spin on the curriculum.
“My favorite lab is our blood splatter lab which we're coming up on next week. It’s really fun, that's purely why I like it. We throw fake blood all over the room and it’s a fun time for everyone,” Hirschfield said.
Those who take this class get a different take on science than a typical biology or chemistry course wouldn’t offer.
“It’s a really interesting application of science. Forensics applies science to something that’s relevant to students and relevant to all of us, frankly. Using science is like a superpower to help save the world,” Hirschfield said.
Overall, Hirschfield’s dedication in the classroom doesn’t go unnoticed and her impact on her students is well recognized throughout the school.
“I don’t have kids of my own so it’s kind of like I have 200 kids every year, and if I can influence my students in any way positively then I think that’s the best part,” Hirschfield said.
Outside of the classroom, Hirschfield can be found watching true crime on Netflix, reading, or hanging out with family and friends.
Student Spotlight:
Lake Central is known for their production of athletes that commit to playing athletics at the collegiate level. Josh Flores is one of the many Class of 2025 commitments, but his story differs from the rest.
As a three-year varsity pitcher for the baseball team, Flores committed to the University of Kentucky in July.
“It was a very long process. I feel like when I was younger I wasn’t heavily scouted so it took a lot of hard work, dedication, and overall just staying disciplined to the process,” Flores said.
Before Kentucky, Flores had previously committed to the University of Cincinnati, another D1 program but decided to decommit and reopen his recruitment process.
“Cincinnati was the second offer that I had. It was a great school, and I fell in love with the program. All props to them because they run a great program, but I thought that Kentucky was a better fit for me and my family,” Flores said.
Although Flores is committed to playing baseball in college, that isn’t necessarily the only route he has thought about. With two previous Lake Central baseball players being drafted to the Milwaukee Brewers in the past two years, Josh Adamczewski and Griffin Tobias, this has become a plausible situation for Flores.
“Post high school, I want to try to get drafted. That’s the main goal. I think I have a chance if I continue to put work in as well as continue to get better. I think if I get that opportunity I’m going to take it,” Flores said.
For Flores, putting in the work won’t be stopping anytime soon. Coming off a state title in 2024 has kept the Indians ready for more challenges this upcoming season. He also credits a lot of his results to Head Coach Mike Swartzentruber.
“I feel like just playing as a teammate and trusting the process is something Coach beats on a lot. Trusting the process and making sure you’re working hard every day has helped me get to the place I am today,” Flores said.
As a student athlete, Flores works just as hard in the classroom as he does on the baseball field, despite how challenging it may be at times.
“It’s hard, but I try to make it work as much as I can. If it’s a day we don’t have practice, I’ll come home, do my homework, and try to get eight hours of sleep. I try to get as much of my homework done in school, so I don’t have to do it outside of school,” Flores said.
With preseason conditioning already starting for the baseball team, Flores is already putting in the work for a successful senior season and a potential pick on draft night.
