GreatNews.Life Student Voices: From sunrise to school days: Celebrating the people who make La Porte shine

What’s coming up?

The Slicer Squad is returning to the local elementary schools this year. The Slicer Squad consists of La Porte High School (LPHS) juniors and seniors from the football team, cheer squad, dance team, volleyball team, and marching band.

Jennifer Goss is the sponsor for the Slicer Squad, and she organized this squad to help bring school spirit and cultivate positivity across La Porte.

“I started with that particular group of high schoolers because they are the ones on the field on Friday nights. They serve as positive role models and ambassadors of Slicer spirit. It’s been a wonderful experience and I’m excited to continue it,” Goss said.

Each elementary school has a group that is split throughout the school, so every student receives a greeting. Some stand by the bus, while others stand in the pick-up line. Cheerleaders will perform cheers, and music is played to get the kids hyped up for the day.

“When the Slicer Squad shows up at the elementary schools in their Slicer gear, they are doing much more than just saying hello. To elementary students, seeing a high school student they can look up to, who might have the same interests as them, creates excitement, pride, and a sense of belonging,” Critchfield Elementary School teacher Katie Talbert said. “For our high school students, it is an opportunity to realize the impact they have just by showing up and being a positive role model. When we build connections across schools, we are strengthening the pride, spirit, and sense of community that makes being a Slicer so special.”

These students love going to their elementary schools to visit their teachers, but they also love seeing how happy the kids are to interact with their upperclassmen.

The final Slicer Squad days this year take place on this upcoming Friday, September 26 as well as October 2.

What’s recently happened?

The annual Senior Sunrise was held on Monday, August 31, at 6 a.m. in Kiwanis Field.

Senior Sunrise is a way for the graduating seniors to come together for their last year of high school. Many anticipated this event for weeks; however, due to the storms, the original date was delayed.

Students were required to bring eggs, sausage, pancake mix, or bacon for the event. Seniors Aspyn Beaty and Gavin Beatie wanted to give back to their community during their last year of high school, so the two took the leftover food and donated it to the local PAX center.

“Senior Sunrise was a beautiful event. At the end while cleaning up, I realized we had a small issue. We had so much leftover food. I didn’t want to waste it, and I have volunteered at The PAX center before — I knew they accepted donations,” Beaty said. “There’s a reason why our slogan is “Once a Slicer, Always a Slicer,” because we continue to give back to this community whether we are in school or not.”

Staff member spotlight:

For 15 years, Micheal Scheck taught at South Central High School before moving to LPHS this past summer. Previously at South Central, he taught band in grades 5-12, music theory, classical music history, and the history of rock and roll. Now, Scheck is the head director of the LPHS marching band, and he has made an immense impact on the music program.

Scheck began playing the trumpet in band class when he was in 5th grade, and he started taking piano lessons before the following school year. It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school that he started taking music more seriously as a possible career path.

“I remember the first time I heard the song Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. I was at my uncle’s house and he put it on. I borrowed that cassette tape from him and I listened to that song about a thousand times in a row. I had no idea music could do things like that,” Scheck said.

Before Scheck became a band director, he was in the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corp. He marched in the Bluecoats for five years, and was the trumpet section leader in 2002 and 2003, as well as the Horn Sergeant in 2003. He also marched in the 50th anniversary alumni corps in 2022.

With his experience in bands and drum corps, he has watched many peers and students grow to be better musicians.

“I want all students to always give their best efforts and enjoy themselves while they are doing it. In teaching music, my goal is that all students develop a love for music. Successful performances are great, but not as important as developing a lifelong love of the art. I strive to instill an awareness of music’s important role in the enrichment of the human spirit,” Scheck said.

Now at LPHS, he is co-teaching concert band, symphonic band, wind ensemble, and jazz band. Scheck also teaches electronic music, music theory, and music history. His passion for music is clear in all of his classes, and it shows in his teaching and playing.

Scheck has made a great impact on the music students at LPHS, and he hopes to continue inspiring students for years to come.

Student spotlight:

Madison Copeland is a senior at LPHS who has been working hard both academically and athletically.

Copeland has been playing volleyball for eight years, and she has played for both Dunes Volleyball and for LPHS. She plays 6-rotation pin-hitter, which is an outside or opposite hitter who plays the entire game in both the front and back rows, contributing to hitting, blocking, and passing without being substituted out.

“Volleyball has made such a big impact on my life, and I really do love what I do. I plan on playing in college, but as of right now I’m undecided. I want to continue making memories and playing the sport I love for as long as I can,” Copeland said.

Copeland also recently took up tennis at LPHS and intramural pickleball. During the school year, she enjoys playing sports, going to football and basketball games, and attending pep rallies.

After high school, she plans on going to college to be a physical therapist. To prepare, she has taken several AP classes, including AP Psychology, AP Calculus, and AP Government.

“Balancing school and sports is really hard, especially now that I’m planning for college. A lot of my free time in SRT and after school is spent working on school stuff, and I’ve been trying to maintain a better balance between school and extracurriculars,” Copeland said.

Copeland hopes to continue working hard in her sports and in academics to have a successful senior year filled with memories and accomplishments.