La Lumiere School
Encyclopedia
La Lumiere School, in La Porte, Indiana
, United States
, is a private, college preparatory boarding and day school
founded in 1963.
La Lumiere's Science Olympiad team has competed at the state level for the past eighteen years. School traditions include the senior run at the bonfire, an all-school speech contest, formal holiday dinners for faculty and students, two major drama productions, and the headmaster's swim after major gridiron victories. Athletic teams do not compete in a conference structure; the school maintains its independent status and competes regionally against a variety of other independent, parochial, and public schools.
La Lumiere School is accredited by and affiliated with several educational associations:
La Lumiere School receives accreditation from the:
The school, according to Daly and his associates, was envisioned to be an independent, Catholic day school for boys with a traditional liberal arts curriculum that included theology and religion.
In 1963, Daly purchased a 487 acres (2 km²) estate in northern La Porte, Indiana from Mrs. Edward Lalumier for $300,000. Lalumier, an executive with the Armour Meat Packing Company of Chicago, had acquired the land during the 1930's and he had built a lodge overlooking the northernmost lake. She had also built a large garage and servants' quarters behind the house.
James R. Moore was hired as Headmaster by Daly and his associates. In February, Daly flew to New Milford, Connecticut, to seek the advice of Walter Sheehan, the Frank Boyden
-trained headmaster of Canterbury School, at that time the nation's only lay-Catholic boarding school. His visit included a meeting with Sheehan's assistant head, James R. Moore. Moore was subsequently flown to Chicago to meet with the founders and he was offered the position of headmaster. They decided to start the school only if Moore agreed to run it. He moved to La Porte with his wife and three children in the summer of 1963. The school opened in the fall of 1963.
Moore soon concluded that a day school was not feasible and so informed the Founding Board who decided to establish a boarding school, the La Lumiere School for Boys. The name chosen for the school is the French spelling of the name of the property's original owner, for it was hoped that Mrs. Lalumier would endow the school upon her death. She did not.
Beginning with a freshman class of 25 boys, one grade was added each year. Early faculty members' duties included teaching, coaching, and counseling.
Girls were first admitted to the school in 1978. The name was changed to La Lumiere School. The steady growth of the school was marked by a new gymnasium in January of 1979, a new upperclassman dormitory, Linnen House, in January of 1985, and a sizable addition to the existing classroom space to include science laboratories, a computer room, an art room, four additional classrooms, and a library in March of 1986.
La Lumiere School celebrated its fourth consecutive year of record enrollment in 2010. It also completed construction of a new 5200 square feet (483.1 m²) Science Center, adding two classrooms, a Science Olympiad Training room and office space.
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a private, college preparatory boarding and day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
founded in 1963.
About
La Lumiere School is an educational institution, begun in 1963, as a single-sex boarding and day school for boys. In 1978, girls of comparable age were admitted to the school. The present day school serves an internationally and culturally diverse, co-educational body of 75 boarders and a population of nearly 125 local day students. Recent facilities expansion has allowed a gradual growth of school population to its largest size since the founding of the school.La Lumiere's Science Olympiad team has competed at the state level for the past eighteen years. School traditions include the senior run at the bonfire, an all-school speech contest, formal holiday dinners for faculty and students, two major drama productions, and the headmaster's swim after major gridiron victories. Athletic teams do not compete in a conference structure; the school maintains its independent status and competes regionally against a variety of other independent, parochial, and public schools.
La Lumiere School is accredited by and affiliated with several educational associations:
- Catholic Boarding Schools Association
- National Association of Independent SchoolsNational Association of Independent SchoolsThe National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
- Association of Boarding Schools
- Midwest Boarding Schools Association
La Lumiere School receives accreditation from the:
- Independent Schools Association of the Central States
- North Central Association
History
In early 1963 a banker from Gary Indiana, Raymond E. Daly, gathered a group of friends and business associates to explore the establishment of a Catholic college preparatory high school somewhere in the Calumet region of Northwest Indiana.The school, according to Daly and his associates, was envisioned to be an independent, Catholic day school for boys with a traditional liberal arts curriculum that included theology and religion.
In 1963, Daly purchased a 487 acres (2 km²) estate in northern La Porte, Indiana from Mrs. Edward Lalumier for $300,000. Lalumier, an executive with the Armour Meat Packing Company of Chicago, had acquired the land during the 1930's and he had built a lodge overlooking the northernmost lake. She had also built a large garage and servants' quarters behind the house.
James R. Moore was hired as Headmaster by Daly and his associates. In February, Daly flew to New Milford, Connecticut, to seek the advice of Walter Sheehan, the Frank Boyden
Frank Boyden
-Personal life:He attended Amherst College, class of 1902.He married Helen Sears Childs on June 29, 1907. She was a 1904 graduate of Smith College, which awarded her a Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1934....
-trained headmaster of Canterbury School, at that time the nation's only lay-Catholic boarding school. His visit included a meeting with Sheehan's assistant head, James R. Moore. Moore was subsequently flown to Chicago to meet with the founders and he was offered the position of headmaster. They decided to start the school only if Moore agreed to run it. He moved to La Porte with his wife and three children in the summer of 1963. The school opened in the fall of 1963.
Moore soon concluded that a day school was not feasible and so informed the Founding Board who decided to establish a boarding school, the La Lumiere School for Boys. The name chosen for the school is the French spelling of the name of the property's original owner, for it was hoped that Mrs. Lalumier would endow the school upon her death. She did not.
Beginning with a freshman class of 25 boys, one grade was added each year. Early faculty members' duties included teaching, coaching, and counseling.
Girls were first admitted to the school in 1978. The name was changed to La Lumiere School. The steady growth of the school was marked by a new gymnasium in January of 1979, a new upperclassman dormitory, Linnen House, in January of 1985, and a sizable addition to the existing classroom space to include science laboratories, a computer room, an art room, four additional classrooms, and a library in March of 1986.
La Lumiere School celebrated its fourth consecutive year of record enrollment in 2010. It also completed construction of a new 5200 square feet (483.1 m²) Science Center, adding two classrooms, a Science Olympiad Training room and office space.
Notable alumni
- John G. Roberts, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice.
- John P. HilerJohn P. HilerJohn Patrick Hiler is a former U.S. Representative from Indiana.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Hiler graduated from La Lumiere School, La Porte, Indiana, 1971....
, U.S. Representative from Indiana (January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991) - Paris BarclayParis BarclayParis K.C. Barclay is an American television director and producer. He has directed over 100 episodes of television to date, for series including NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House M.D., Law & Order, Monk, Numb3rs, City of Angels, Cold Case, and more recently The Mentalist,...
, DirectorTelevision directorA television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the... - Jim GaffiganJim GaffiganJames Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...
, ComedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy... - Chris FarleyChris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, ComedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, attended one semester his junior year at the school.