GreatNews.Life Student Voices: La Lu finalizes fall athletic season with success

What’s recently happened? 

La Lumiere (La Lu) School’s fall athletic co-curriculars for the 2025-2026 season have officially come to an end. The first month of school was filled with plentiful opportunities for students to showcase their school spirit. Home game themes ranged from “Pink Out” to “U.S.A.” and the Lakers did not disappoint. The historic Marsch Gymnasium was packed during volleyball games, and the bleachers were filled during soccer and tennis matches.

“My favorite part is the home games. The gym is full of people and a fantastic student section,” said Adri Forker, a senior on the volleyball team.

At the last home games of the season, each team took the time to celebrate their respective seniors. Girls’ Golf highlighted Isabella and Garbriella Robles on September 15, and Boys’ Tennis celebrated Josh Jaracz and Andriy Romanets on September 20.

More senior nights took place on Wednesday, September 24 and Thursday, September 25. The gymnasium was decorated with pink as volleyball celebrated six seniors who all played in the last game of their La Lu careers.

“I loved connecting and making fun, new friendships with all the underclassmen,” Senior Vann Rucker said.

On September 26, Girls’ Soccer celebrated nine seniors while the student section sported a U.S.A. theme. They achieved a win to end the season off strong. Boys’ Soccer has their senior night the next week, celebrating 11 seniors and closing out their season with a win at home. All of the teams completed successful seasons, with Boys’ Soccer taking home the South Shore Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship for the second year in a row.

What’s coming up?

With the fall season concluding, winter is fast approaching. Fall break takes place from October 9-12, giving students a chance to take a break before winter co-curricular activities begin on October 13. Winter offers a variety of opportunities for students to participate in. Among these are basketball, cheerleading, and the literary magazine.

The cheer team has already started preparing for the upcoming season by meeting every Wednesday.

“We are currently preparing for the Marsch Madness dance at the end of October. When I joined cheer last year, I loved how the whole school came together during the basketball games. This year, I hope we can bring even more energy to the student section and make it a great season for cheer and basketball,” said Ran Kato, cheer team captain.

The winter season at La Lu is filled with numerous events and it can be hard to keep track of them all. After fall break, activities resume in full swing with the Fall Open House on Saturday, October 25. The open house is an opportunity for current students to give prospective families a closer look at La Lu’s campus and the environment that surrounds the student body.

A big showcase of La Lu’s community is seen during Spirit Week. La Lu’s spirit week takes place on the week of October 27, leading up to Fall Ball. Past themes have consisted of “Adam Sandler,” “La Lu Spirit,” and “Anything But a Backpack Day.”

The Thursday of spirit week is Marsch Madness, where the entire student body gathers in the Marsch Gymnasium to celebrate the start of the basketball and cheer seasons. A number of events take place throughout the night. Among these are a dunk contest, a three-point contest, and a dance orchestrated by the cheerleaders.

Staff spotlight: 

Magaly Rivas is a Spanish teacher at La Lu for upper-level students, and she is deeply involved in the lives of the students and the community.

She is constantly smiling in the hallways with her door always open for those that need anything. More than just a Spanish teacher, Rivas is the head of the Language Department. She also serves as the assistant coach for Girls’ Volleyball during the fall and the head coach for the Cheerleading team during the winter.

She has been at La Lu for three years now, and her son Benjamin attends the school as well.  Despite only having been there for a few years, she appreciates the school’s community and all that it has to offer.

“My favorite thing about La Lu is the students and the close community that we have,” Rivas said.

Her goal is to get her students to love and enjoy speaking Spanish. She wants them to have the opportunity to learn her culture, as well as other cultures, and visit Spanish-speaking countries someday with ease.

Rivas is from Chile and is proud of the culture of her country. She looks forward to the opportunity to show and embrace the cultural diversity present in the school every year in April during The Taste of La Lu, an annual food festival that allows students and faculty to share dishes representing their cultural heritage.

Student spotlight:

Benjamin Orellana Rivas is a junior at La Lu. He has attended the school for all three years so far. He is originally from Chile and wants people to know about his background, because his culture is something he really enjoys talking about with others.

Like his mother, Rivas enjoys The Taste of La Lu and sees the event as a great opportunity to meet other people from different cultures and share his own. He stays involved within La Lu’s community and truly appreciates the supportive environment that it has to offer.

“My favorite thing about La Lu is the community and how genuine it is. People actually look out for each other,” Rivas said.

He’s had the opportunity to live on campus for the past three years. As a result, he’s been completely immersed in the school’s environment.

He plays Boys’ Tennis in the fall, participates in Model United Nations in the winter, and manages the Girls’ Tennis team in the spring.