Fall - Luther High School

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LUTHER HIGH
SCHOOL
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

Luther Leader
W I N T E R
I S S U E
editor Emily Balfanz
J A N U A R Y
2 0 1 2
Sports
Overview

Concussions

WBC

Spring Play
Preview
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Devotion
Give Thanks to the Lord!
Psalm 118 begins and ends
with these familiar words:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good; his love endures forever.”
You know those words!
They are so familiar to us
that perhaps they are now
just godly code for, “OK,
let’s eat!”
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CC/Tennis
2
Football/
Volleyball
3
Affordable
Clothing
4,5
New Face/
Thankfulness
6,7
Guest
Speakers
8
Let’s think about these
words:
Give thanks: The idea is
not just simply “thanks,”
but praise! One of the best
ways to thank our God is to
throw out our words of
praise for all he’s done for
us. As you think about the
many blessings God has
given to you, let that praise
fly from your hearts!
LORD: Remember how
the LORD described himself to Moses? “I AM who
I AM.” We get to praise
the LORD who never
changes. We receive our
blessings from the LORD
who simply “IS!” We’re
praising our compassionate
God, the one who is
“abounding in love and
faithfulness!”
He is good: Isn’t that an
understatement?? Look at
all the LORD has done for
us: our school, our church,
our family! Look at all
he’s given: homes, cars,
games, clothing, food. . .
and the list goes on! Look
at who he’s given them to:
sinners who often rebel and
take his gifts for granted;
sinners who often forget
how good God is; sinners
who are now counted as
saints because our good
LORD sent the Savior to
pay for every sin and declare the world righteousness! We have our sins
removed! We have a
school that allows us to
rejoice daily in Jesus’ great
love for each of us! He
gave himself so we can live
in praise now and in his
presence for eternity. Our
LORD is certainly “good!”
His love endures forever:
In a world that’s filled with
temporary blessings, how
thankful we are that the
LORD’S love will never
get old, wear out or get
used up! You know his
mercy; you’ve seen it on
the cross. You have his
mercy; it’s guaranteed by
the empty grave. His never
ending love is constantly
proclaimed in his Gospel.
This same God even showers us with blessings on
this earth for our use and
enjoyment. No wonder we
use them to praise his holy
name!
These are good words!
They don’t take long to
say, but they are packed
with meaning. Before you
dive into that turkey and
stuffing, dive into that
short, familiar and oh so
amazing prayer, “Give
thanks to the LORD, for he
is good; his love endures
forever!” Amen!!
-Pastor Galen Riedeger,
Christ St Johns, West Salem, WI
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Cross Country
It was an exceptional year for Luther
High School Cross-Country. Never before had
a team qualified for the state tournament. The
state meet was held in Wisconsin Rapids on
Saturday, October 29. The state team consisted
of Seniors Naomi Loffelholz, Amber Sommerfeldt; Junior Megan Dretske, Sophomores
Jennie Adickes, Miriam Beagle, Annika
Henckel and Freshmen Angela Zenke. During
the regular season, Freshmen Angela Zenke
received Honorable Mention All-Conference.
Senior, Jacob Carlson led the Knights on the
boys’ team. He finished in first place on the
team in all of the meets except for one. He
also made it to state for the second time in
his career. Finishing 93rd of 148 runners
was a fantastic end to his season. Way to go
Knights!
Girl’s Tennis
LUTHER
LEADER
EDITOR
For the last 6 years, Knights’ tennis
has been a power house in the Coulee Conference. 2011 was no exception. The girls
finished the season with a perfect record of
4-0. Sophomore, Lilli Gannon continued on
to the WIAA tournament to sectionals. Individual champions earning 1st Team AllConference honors were: Susanna Harbach
at #1 singles, Rebecca Parker at #2 singles,
Lilli Gannon at #3 singles, Rachel Riediger
at #4 singles, MacKenzie Hoeppner and Rachel Kondracki at #2 Doubles, and the #3
doubles team of Chloe Harbach and Molly
Paggi. Susanna Harbach was also named the
Coulee Conference Player of the Year. Congratulations, Lady Knights!
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Football
The Knights realized how hard they
would have to work to be successful in the
Coulee Conference this year. Unfortunately,
as far as wins go, they were unsuccessful.
The team finished with a record of 0-9.
However, Coulee Conference recognition
was awarded to the following seniors: Wyatt Klinski Honorable Mention at Running
Back & Linebacker, Nick Trocinski Honorable Mention at Offensive & Defensive
Line, and Mike Rutz Honorable Mention at
Offensive Line. Junior Varsity finished 2-6
and C-team finished 1-6 on the season.
Varsity Volleyball
The Knights continued to use their
God given abilities in a positive manner this
season. They made it to the WIAA Reginal
semi-final against Westby. Their regular conference schedule ended up at 3-9. Junior
Mariah Schultz was named Coulee Conference 2nd Team, and Senior Katlin Zillmer
was named Honorable Mention. The Junior
Varsity team finished at 9-5 with the CTeam’s record at 6-6.
-Sports Articles by Emily Balfanz
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Affordable Yet Fashionable Clothes
Are you stumped on where
dress code appropriate clothes can
be found? Do you not know
where to turn? Look no further.
The La Crosse area has recently
opened Plato’s Closet, which is a
resale shop where anyone can
bring in their unused or lightly
used clothing. The cashiers will
give you cash on the spot for
clothes that pass their inspection.
Plato’s asks that the clothes
brought in be a top name brand.
Some examples are: Hollister,
American Eagle, Abercrombie
and Fitch, and Aeropostale. The
clothes on the shelves are geared
generally for teens and people in
their twenties. Plato’s has a great
variety of clothes: shoes, purses,
necklaces, and hair accessories!
There are many different combinations that would be dress code
appropriate for Luther. Here are
some examples: stylish shirts that
come to or above the collarbone
and jeans that are free of rips and
tears. Plato’s isn’t just for girls.
The section of guys’ clothes is in
very good condition and very
stylish. If you’re looking to find
your personal style, you’ll be sure
to find it at Plato’s Closet! Plato’s
is asking for designer denim,
Abercrombie and Fitch, Charlott
Russe, hoodies, and coats for winter wear. A close location to Luther is: 3133 State Hwy 16, LaCrosse, WI 54601608-782-6822.
Cherry Pickers is another resale boutique new to the area.
They have a wide selection of
trendy outfits. Cherry Pickers is
mainly for women in their teens or
twenties. If you’re worrying about
the quality of the clothes you’re
thinking of purchasing, don’t. As
you can see in the pictures, there
isn’t a wear and tear mark to be
seen! You also don’t have to worry if the clothes fit dress code, because they have a vast variety of
those too. They stock sizes 00-18
and XS-XXL, so there will certainly be the right size for you. It
is located at the corner of Main
and 3rd streets, also known as 127
South 3rd Street.
The Orange Door is yet another
resale shop that has popped up in
La Crosse. The Orange Door is a
cute little building that packs a
punch with its variety. You could
purchase anything from onceworn prom dresses to summer
clothes to jeans. There are a lot of
summer outfits that are in style.
There aren’t as many school appropriate clothes, so get there
quick before they are all gone!
The Orange Door sells necklaces
and handbags too.
Something very special
about this business is that they
feel very strongly about making
their community a better place.
They have partnered with the
YWCA to reach out and help others. The address for the Orange
Door is 729 6th Street South, La
Crosse, Wisconsin 54601. If you
would like to reach them by
phone to check out their hours,
their number is: 608-782-4974
-by Rylie Wetzel
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Welcome Seung– Soo Lee!
Moving to a new
school can be a nerveracking experience for any
student. Being uncertain,
restless, nervous, and even a
bit fearful would be just a
few of the emotions someone
might feel. Imagine yourself
moving to a school in a different state, maybe even a
different time zone. Now imagine going to a new school
in a completely different
country without the comfort
of any of your family or
friends.
This type of transition
is exactly the kind that new
Luther student, Junior Seung
-Soo Lee had to make.
Transferring from Seoul,
South Korea just a few short
years ago, Seung-Soo landed
here in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Learning from all of the
craziness that is teenage high
school life, it did not take
him long to notice the differences in the attitudes toward
school in America.
The biggest difference,
says Seung-Soo, is the time
we spend at school. In Korea, high school students are
at school from 9 o’clock in
the morning until 10 o’clock
at night. Students get no time
for any extra-curricular activities, and rarely get more
than a handful of hours of
sleep a night. On top of not
having any organized sports
to speak of, students even
have to attend class sessions
on alternating Saturdays.
These sessions are aimed
more at getting the students
involved in their school, getting to play in the gym or
practice music. Still, it is not
quite the same as participating in organized sports.
Here at Luther, SeungSoo has opportunities to play
any variety of sports he
wants, play musical instruments, and even spend free
time with friends. Among the
other differences he experiences here include the food,
no uniforms, and even the
weather and snow. One challenge, however, is the language barrier. Although kids
in Korea are taught English
from fourth grade on, and
more than 70% of people
speak some sort of English,
it was still a major transition
for him. The most important
thing, though, is getting a
Christian education.
Transferring here to
Luther gives Seung-Soo the
type of opportunity he might
not have gotten in Korea.
The most important opportunity is being able to get to
know Jesus as his Lord and
Savior. Without this
knowledge, all the fun and
games in sports, music, and
free afternoons would go to
waste. Nothing is more important than this, and it is for
these reasons, that reaching
out to students like SeungSoo is so vital in being able
to spread the Word of God.
-by Ryan Kastenschmidt
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WINTER
ISSUE
What Are You Thankful
For?
Autumn brings an entirely different
feel for people. Warm sunshiny weather is
replaced by chilly mornings and colorful
leaves floating down toward the browning
grass. This cozy feeling of fall coincides
nicely with one of the most celebrated holidays, Thanksgiving. Going to an extravagant dinner hosted by a family member is
one of the most common ways to come together and recognize the gifts God has given us. On a day-to-day basis, we probably
don’t think of the things God has put in our
lives, like the fellowship with other Christians through Luther High School. Many
things have been placed in our lives to remind us of the grace surrounding us.
The Thanksgiving holiday is looked
forward to for many reasons. One reason is
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the food. Mounds of mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce are the
traditional feast that is laid before us the
afternoon of the 24th. A second reason
Thanksgiving is adored so much is that you
can gather your family together. Some families are scattered throughout the country,
and this holiday gives them a reason to see
one another.
People have numerous things for
which to be thankful. When talking to fellow students, their common response tends
to be, ‘My family’. Family is always there
for you, even if you don’t want them to be.
Another common answer is ‘faithful
friends’, friends that you can confide in and
know they have your best interest in mind.
Many also say that Luther is a blessing for
more than just hearing God’s word every
day. The teachers at Luther care about your
well-being, not just if you pass their class.
What are you most thankful for?
-by Karis Zarling-Sumption
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Guest Speakers at Luther
en
d
O
a
e”
s
Melis Up For Lif
k
“Spea
Chris Dresbach
“Live Above the Influence”
Rich’s Ride
“On a Journey of Hope”