Taking Advanced Placement classes in high school can often be a challenging decision when weighing the workload against the benefits of taking the courses.

LPHS offers a variety of AP classes. English has Seminar, Language, and Literature. Math has Pre-calculus and Calculus. Science has Physics 1, Physics 2, Biology, Environmental Science, and Research. Social Studies has Psychology, World History, and US History. The electives are Spanish and 3D Art.

AP classes have pros and cons. APs include earning college credit, completing more rigorous coursework, and standing out to colleges. AP classes offer an administered test at the end of the year. The scoring is 1-5, a majority of schools, a 3, will earn student college credit.

Another benefit of getting college credit is the financial savings. It costs less to earn college credit in high school than in college. A student can begin their college journey with pre-existing college credit.

Students taking AP classes get the chance to learn new, rigorous work and take classes like college. Teachers who teach AP classes have stated that they enjoy teaching the work to students.

“Teaching AP classes gives me the chance to stretch my brain muscles more than I do in my non-AP classes,“ Mr. Martin, an AP teacher, said.

Advanced Placement classes have plenty of homework to do every day to be prepared for their test and quizzes. Some students would say the homework is a con for some of the AP classes, while others find the homework doable.

“The homework is pretty manageable, as long as you do your work in class when it is assigned,” Gabby Tompkins, student, said.

Students taking APs find both negatives and positives of taking them. LPHS provides a variety of AP classes to try out and take. A student wanting to join an AP class can request to take the AP class during scheduling.

LaPorte High School Fall Ball lands on the 8th of November from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The theme of this year's dance is decided by the LPHS Student Council and is A Night in Paris! The dress code for the dance is semi-formal.

The tickets for students are $20; However, only 600 are available. Tickets can be purchased in Mrs. Harton's office.

If students want to go, they must fill out an approval form. The approval is due from Mrs. Ginger before the ticket is purchased. The approval form is due before the ticket is purchased. Tickets can be purchased throughout lunches on the 31st and before and after school throughout next week.

A student ID and ticket are required at the door before entry. Make sure to come prepared and following dress code. LPHS is providing snacks and water. 

If there are any questions, the student council sponsors are Mrs. Lowry and Mrs. Brown; their Gmail addresses are below.

Mrs. Brown: abrown@lpcsc.k12.in.us

Mrs. Lowry: alowry@lpcsc.k12.in.us

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2025 Homecoming was a hit, and king and queen nominees for the school year enjoyed the spotlight of the week.

There are 22 different clubs that each vote for a Homecoming queen and king nominee. The nominees are as follows:

Marching Band: Erica Peitri and Braxton Pliske

ASL Club: Kieanna Simpson and Luke Witulski

Cheerleading: Braylie Bannwart

Choir: Layna Hannon and Andy Hayes Creative Writing Club: Kaira Ault and Owen Renz

Dance Team: Grace Hamilton

Equestrian Team: Brooklyn Gogel

Fellowship of Christian Athletes: Emma Talbert and CT Rusboldt

FFA: Ella Spencer and Ross Esposito

French Club: Dana McQuarters and Gavin Rees

Girls Reserve: Maliyah Ward

HOSA: Bailey Hart and Max Burke

Interact Club: Lizbeth Luna-Zetina and Milo Jimenez

National Honor Society: Rae Dawsey and Henery Denger

National Technical Honor Society: Mia Medeiros and Steven Poe

Newspaper: Gabby Tompkins

Orchestra: Amaya Antos and Roman Garay

Photography Club: Eyvette Yeaney and Ethan Messacar

Spanish Club: Ashley Cisneros and Sullivan Cline

Speech and Debate: Elizabeth Shaffer and Evan Hough

Student Council: Bri Hunter and Wyatt Wilczynski

Yearbook: Ekaterina Hatzikostantis and Samuel Thibideau

In alphabetical order, the top 10 queens are Antos, Banwart, Cisneros, Dawesy, Hannon, Hart, Hatzkinostantis, Talbert, Tompkins, and Ward.

In alphabetical order, the top 10 kings are Burke, Cline, Denger, Hayes, Hough, Poe, Rees, Rusboldt, Thibideau, and Wilczynski.

The top three nominees were announced at the game: 2nd runners-up were Maliyah Ward and Wyatt Wilczynski. Runners-up for queen and king were Layna Hannon and Andy Hayes. The Homecoming King and Queen of 2025 at LPHS are Rae Dawesy and Henry Denger!

Congrats to all our nominees!

Once a Slicer, always a Slicer. Mrs. Wiesemann has dusted off her orange and black this year as she is the new associate principal at La Porte High School in the 2025-2026 school year.

Wiesemann has bled orange and black since she was born. The Slicer grad was a cheerleader in her high school years, and her dad was the athletic director at LaPorte High School for decades.

Wiesemann earned both her Bachelor’s in Economics and Management and Elementary Education from DePauw and her Master's in Educational Administration from Ball State.

Wiesemann's journey as an educator in LPCSC started in August 2006. She started as a fourth grade teacher at Indian Trail for a year. After, she transferred to Kingsford Heights, where she taught for 10 years. She then took a job for a year as an assistant principal at LPHS but then was offered a principal position at Kinsbury Elementary. After that challenge, she decided to try a new role, bringing her back home to LPHS.

Wisemann has always enjoyed supporting kids educationally, so the biggest difference between teaching and being a principal is the time spent with them. Teachers work more closely with the students and talk to their families, which helps them build better relationships. Being a principal makes the time spent with kids harder, so if they want to be involved, they have to take the initiative.

Wiesemann loves kids, and that’s why she taught for so long; however, she decided to become a principal because she also wanted to serve teachers since the role is difficult.

“No matter where I go or what position I hold, I always want to leave things better than I found them,” Wiesemann said.

Wisemann is excelling in her new role. She cares for the students and hopes to change LPHS for the better.

When she isn’t leading at LPHS, Wiesemann’s schedule is packed with family activities.

“Outside of school, my focus is mostly on my family.  I have six children who are all very active in sports or clubs. They keep me very busy, “ Wiesmann said.

When she is not busy with her family, she enjoys running, golfing with her husband, puzzles, reading, and watching movies.

It’s clear Weisemann cares deeply about the students and staff and works hard to make sure everyone is supported. Wiesemann is a great addition to the LPHS staff this year!

Words are one of the most powerful tools we have, and one LPHS club allows students to strengthen their skills. Speech Club is a group that allows students to develop public speaking skills and compete with other people all around the state and even country.

Speech Club is a student public speaking opportunity that creates many skills needed in later life such as communication skills and public speaking with confidence. Members will learn to write an expressive piece that really speaks. The club is open to new members throughout the season. Everyone is welcome to join the club, and meetings will be on in Shultze Hall during SRT.

Throughout the speech season, there are many different competitions. LPHS will battle against schools in the northwest region like Chesterton, Valparaiso, Penn, Crown Point, Munster, Michigan City, and Lake Central. The competition days are Saturdays from around 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Not every competition needs to be attended; it is recommended to go to more than four of the competitions to be in the Speech Club.

Speech Club used to be a class for students to add to their schedule. Unfortunately, not enough students signed up for the class last year. There has to be 25 students signed up for it to become a class again. Signing up for the class is easy; it’s a full-year class and can be added to the selected course list.

Mr. Stewart is the advisor of the speech club and the teacher when it's a class. He did Speech throughout his high school years. He is experienced and knowledgeable in the subject area. He has helped many grow as public speakers. He is highly supportive and encouraging.          

Speech is a great way to be more confident in public speaking. It can also help people communicate, knowing what to say on the spot in a time when social skills are diminishing. The Speech class is also credited for two English electives in the diploma.

Speech is a club and course worth being a part of. Students will meet great people, learn so much about each other, and develop skills that will carry them through life. Each competition is more fun than the last. Everyone is passionate about the club and wants to improve. Consider joining the club and signing up for the class. See Stewart in H.17 for more information.

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.