GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Lake Central hosts annual resource fair and introduces new sports program

What’s recently happened?

The Lake Central School Corporation Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (LCSC SEPAC) hosted its annual Resource Fair on October 14 with various organizations for parents and students to connect and utilize. The event was open to the public and anyone was welcome to attend and check out the resources around Northwest Indiana.

“Our Resource Fair features a wide variety of exhibitors offering programs and services that support individuals from early childhood through adulthood. Exhibitors include therapeutic service providers, mental health agencies, health-waiver programs, recreational and extracurricular organizations, as well as college and transition services. With the collaboration with Lake Central School District, we wanted to connect families with all the wonderful resources available for individuals with special needs,” Humuria Mohiuddin, LCSC SEPAC Leadership Committee member, said.

Mohiuddin believes many families don’t realize how many services exist in the community. The Resource Fair is a way to bring it all to life, creating a positive experience for families and the district.

The LCSC SEPAC is made up entirely of parent volunteers, and they work alongside the district to make sure their children have all the support they need.

“The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is a parent-driven group that plays an important role in ensuring families and schools work together effectively to support students with disabilities. SEPAC provides a platform for parents to share concerns, offer input, and collaborate with school administration to improve programs and services for all students receiving special education,” Mohiuddin said.

There are also many benefits to having the Resource Fair at the school in one place. 

“This fair is an opportunity for parents to access information about a variety of community vendors all in one spot. We have over 70 community resources attending this year. It makes it easy for parents to get information all at once instead of having to search for it.  We do all the hard work of searching for the resources and gathering them together,” Rebecca Gromala, Director of Student Support Services, said.

For parents, there are many ways to find out information about LCSC SEPAC, such as through its Facebook page where they post upcoming events.

“Other events hosted by LCSC SEPAC include parent workshops and speaker nights on topics such as navigating the IEP process, understanding waivers, promoting inclusion, and planning transitions into adulthood,” Mohiuddin said.

What’s coming up?

On September 30, the Lake Central High School Lacrosse Program had its callout meeting for its upcoming, inaugural girl’s season in the spring. Before, lacrosse players attending the high school had to play for other school’s teams such as Munster High School and Crown Point High School. Now there is an opportunity for the athletes to join the team at the high school level.

“The program started because Lake Central High School did not have a coach to do the program at the age level that I coached at, and I volunteered, which helped me learn as I went. I’ve always coached, whether it be volleyball or basketball. My younger daughter wanted to play so it was an opportunity to step in and help and grow from there,” Head Coach Sarah Wessel said.

Starting on October 7, there is going to be introduction practices for the high school girls team located at the cross country field at Lake Central High School. There is no experience required, and the only item players are required to bring is a mouthguard. Goggles and sticks will be provided.

“What I love about lacrosse is that you don’t necessarily have to be talented to play and succeed. You just have to be willing to work hard and learn. It can fit a lot of athletes. I was blown away at how many people showed up. I think it will be a great program, and I think we will have a lot of success. We already have a core group of players who have experience, which will be a pillar for the team. It has been received very well by the administration and the students, so I anticipate that it will be very successful,” Wessel said.

While there are a number of new athletes to the sport, there are also players that have been waiting for this opportunity at the high school level.

“I’ve been playing lacrosse for more than four years. I started playing because my brother played, and I joined the Crown Point Lacrosse Club. I am really excited because if Lake Central High School didn’t have a team, then I would have nowhere to play. I like that lacrosse is different from your typical sports, and it is a good environment that I love to be around. I think that a lot of people should play lacrosse,” Sophomore Anna Brumm said.  

Staff spotlight:

While teaching for over 25 years, Lisa Groszek is an English teacher and aspiring author, writing two mystery novels called “The Lonesome Isle” and “Above and Below.” This is a part of a three-part series. She also wrote a poetry book called “And They Danced….Songs of Life.”

“I find inspiration for my writing from everyday life, especially when writing poetry. The poem, which is also the title of my book of poetry, literally came to me in a dream that was so real I just had to sit down and write it. My longer pieces and novels are inspired often by the deeper sides of life, like the tug between good and evil and the finding of balance. Also, I’m a big fan of clever plot twists and the supernatural, so those are usually incorporated,” Groszek said.

Groszek has always been into writing, and her inspirations stem from Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King.

“I have enjoyed storytelling since I was a young child. I was assigned a story to write in third grade, literally written on elementary lined paper. Even then, I was interested in the unreal in one way or another. In other words, fairies and sprites and other fictional creatures. From there, I found it easiest to express myself on paper. When dealing with the angst of the teenage years, I really got into poetry and trying to play with language to create meaning. Finally, as I graduated college, I knew that while teaching was a passion that I would follow up on in everyday life. I couldn’t let go of my passion for the written world,” Groszek said.

She plans on releasing a third novel very soon to wrap up the mystery series she worked on.

“I have a third and final installment of my series with a working title of ‘Dividing Lines.’ I am also working on a stand-alone piece with a working title of “Shuddered.” I have a few other loose ideas that have not yet formed themselves into written novels, but I look forward to fleshing those out in future writing sessions,” Groszek said.

Student spotlight:

Senior Cameron Reddick recently committed to the Air Force Academy with an acceptance rate of 13.9% to continue his football career. He was on the varsity football team the past four years and recently managed to earn the Summa Cum Laude title in his senior year for his strong academics.

“I chose to commit to this college over the others because it was a perfect fit for me. I feel like football wise it’s a great program and I’m super excited to be there, but even outside of football it’s a great college to go to. They set you up really well for life after college so it was a no-brainer for me. I’m just super excited to be going there and for all of the things that they have to offer,” Reddick said.

Reddick considered a lot of other aspects regarding the school other than football.

“The Air Force Academy is a pretty strong school academically. There are only about 4,000 to 5,000 cadets in the school, so you have to be good in school and you have to have a good GPA as well as good accolades to go with it. Football wise, it’s not much about requirements. They like to go off the person you are as well as your skill set. So, I would say that the main requirements are the person you are, your academics and how you are off of the field,” Reddick said.

His passion for football has been a part of his life since he was 7 years old.

“Football is one of, if not the most important part of my life, it’s just always had a special place in my heart. I love the sport itself, but I also love everything that it comes with. I love all my relationships with my friends and coaches that I’ve built because of football and I love how I always have something to look forward to and stay dedicated to throughout my life,” Reddick said.