The Criminal Justice pathway is a new addition at LPHS for the 2025-2026 school year.

The pathway consists of four classes: Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Fundamentals. Corrections and Cultural Awareness, and the Criminal Justice Capstone.  

 “I believe a day in service is never a day wasted and it’s important to teach not only the fundamentals of law enforcement but also the ethics and understanding behind it,” Mr. Edwards, Criminal Justice pathway teacher, said.

The Criminal Justice class covers three components: Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections. Law Enforcement goes over the critical examination of the history of perspectives in criminology. Cultural Awareness dives into the social and pubic part of the American criminal Justice system. Last is the Criminal Justice Capstone, which allows students to get a secondary certificate, including a work-based learning component such as job shadowing or an internship.

Edwards leads the pathway, but before he worked at LPHS as a career coach. Edwards has a background in many components of the justice system, which makes him a Fantastic teacher. He was in the Army and National Guard for 20 years, and during 12 of those years, he worked at the sheriff’s department.

Many students are excited about this class because of the teacher.

 “Mr. Edwards is very experienced in the criminal justice field, and he genuinely cares about the class and his students,” Aspyn Beaty, LPHS student, said.

This pathway was intriguing to many students. Since many students couldn't get into AK Smith, they decided to make it a class. Many of the students have shown that they are actively engaged and want to learn more about the American criminal justice system. 

“Criminal Justice is a good class to take because it goes in depth into the justice system and the job oportunities it offers in the system, ” Kiera Lewis, student at LPHS said.

Since this is a new pathway, many students wanted to sign up to get a feel of the class. Students who want to join the class can talk to their counselor about taking the class. If you want to learn more about the class, you can talk to Edwards, who runs the program. Any other information can be found in the link below.

LPHS girls' flag football is sprinting into its inaugural season.

The new sport at LPHS has 22 girls and is led by Industrial Tech teacher Mr. Ruff. Girls' flag football is a new and learning experience for everyone, but the girls are excited to learn about the sport and how to play.

 “The outlook is looking really good so far this year. I’m really excited to see where the team goes,” senior Jasime Grzesiowski said.

Ruff is also optimistic about the team’s progress and the season as a whole.

“I think the athletes are excited to learn about the game and have picked up on it quickly!  They get it and are now practicing with confidence,” Ruff said.

 Girls' Flag Football is a new emerging sport in the IHSAA. The sport has been gaining popularity among schools in Indiana, creating numerous opportunities. After the next two seasons, the IHSAA will then evaluate whether the sport will become sanctioned or not. Up to that point, there will be a state tournament sponsored by the Indianapolis Colts.

 “The Colts have sponsored 100 teams for two years to get the IHSAA to admit the sport to the state,” Ruff said.

 This season's schedule will be fairly light, with the girls just starting the new sport. The next games will be against Valparaiso, Munster, Crown Point, Chesterton, and 21st Century. The girls' games are on Thursdays, mainly at 6:00 p.m., but the times do vary. Their next home game is September 4 against the 21st Century at 6:00 p.m.

Although the girls didn't win their first games, they tried their hardest and represented La Porte well.