What’s Going On:
Lowell is known for having a good football team, but this year, the team took it to another level.
Regionals took place at home and resulted in a win against the New Prairie Cougars with a final score of 25-20. Jordan Jusevitch had two touchdowns and Jaeger Gill contributed with one. This win gave the team momentum heading into semi-state. Next, the Red Devils traveled to Fort Wayne to face off against the Fort Wayne Dwenger’s in semi-state. They stuck with their traditional style of play of running the ball and this resulted in a win. The final score was 21-7, with Jordan Jusevitch scoring three touchdowns. This win locked in their trip to Indianapolis to battle it out at state.
The boys traveled to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, November 25 to take on the East Central Trojans. A large majority of the Lowell community packed the stands to support their #1 ranked Red Devils. #10 East Central went into state with a 11-3 record, and were thirsty for a state title after their loss at state in 2015.
Lowell started off the game with lockdown defense forcing a punt to transition onto offense. Lowell pushed the ball and drove for a touchdown on their first possession. Lowell held the 7-0 lead until the final eight minutes of the second quater, when East Central scored on a touchdown pass. It was a tie game going into halftime, and it remained tied all the way until the final two and a half minutes of the game, when East Central scored again off of a 5 yard touchdown run. The game ended with Lowell falling short 14-7.
Despite the defeat in state, the whole Lowell community is extremely proud of the team’s accomplishments throughout the season.They were ranked #1 in the state all season, and finished with a (14-1) record. Lowell has previously advanced to state in 2005, 2007, and 2009 with a victory in 2005. This years team made history as Lowell's fourth ever appearance at the state competition.
Student Spotlight:
For this year’s fall play, the Lowell Theater Department put on a production of 'Anne of Green Gables.' The play is circulated around the life of Anne Shirley, who is adopted as a young girl. She faces many trials and tribulations throughout her life, and the audience watches Anne develop throughout the play.
Senior Elizabeth Atchley played the lead role of Anne. She did an excellent job of depicting her character, as she has consistently done throughout all of her years of theater. Ever since she was a kid she knew she was going to be performing one way or another.
Atchley prepares thoroughly to perfect each role.
“The first thing I do is read the entire script. Every part, all the way through. I feel the most important thing is to fully understand a show and all of it’s characters before you can truly perfect a role. Then I do some research on the show and start memorizing lines,” she explained.
Her favorite part of Anne of Green Gables was the underlying message of the show. “While allowing all of the actors to have fun on stage, it also showed that life continues even after tragedy. You grow up and move on. It’s a part of life.” said Atchley.
Even though her performance was such a success, there were difficulties along the way. She found the most difficult part to be getting into the character of Anne. Throughout the show, she grows from a child to a teenager, and Liz had to find a way to show distinct differences in herself from the beginning to the end of the show. She had to be conscious of every aspect of her acting, including the way she spoke, dressed, and even the way she walked.
Atchley says she’s loved every show she’s been a part of, but if she had to choose a favorite it would be Anne of Green Gables.
“The character of Anne really brought me to my limits of being an actress. You have a lot of pressure on you being the lead and having so many lines. It really showed me how much I’m capable of and definitely brought me closer to my theater family.”
Staff Spotlight:
In the past two years, the Lowell Girl’s Basketball program has gone through some remodeling. This included a new head coach taking over the program. Coach Chavez moved to Lowell from Hobart and has high ambitions for the program. She’s known for her high-energy, passionate coaching style.
Throughout her life she’s had an undeniable love for sports. She was a very successful softball player in high school and went on to play at the collegiate level. Still today, she enjoys being active and keeping busy. She has a very competitive personality that fuels her to keep improving, which is evident in her coaching.
Upon coming to Lowell, she realized the program needed some work and she took it into her own hands to make a change. Many of the players at the highschool level hadn’t been exposed to basketball at a younger age, so they were cheated of crucial years of development as a player. As for a plan of attack for improving the program in years to come, Chavez is ready.
“I plan to start from the bottom up. Get the younger girls to buy into the program, hold camps and leagues to introduce the younger girls to the program, and keep my high school athletes staying active in the off season with AAU, team camps, and tourneys over the summer," said Chavez.
The 2017-2018 season is already well under way, and she hopes for the team to have a winning season. Additionally, she hopes to play as 5 on the court and to continue to improve each game. As for the future of the program, she hopes to “Build a strong, successful program that the girls are proud of and for the girls to love the game as much as I do.”
What’s Coming Up:
It may only be the beginning of December, but Lowell is already in the spirit of the holidays. On December 2nd, Lowell had their annual Parade of Lights to kick off the festivities. Christmas break starts December 16th, but there are plenty of upcoming Christmas events to embrace the season until then.
On Friday, December 15th, the L-Club will be hosting an Ugly Christmas Sweater dance. The dance will take place in the high school cafeteria following the boy’s varsity basketball game against Hobart. It costs $5 to get in, or this payment can be substituted with a donation of new socks, gloves, or underwear. The dance will last until around 10:30. All proceeds are going toward an angel tree. All students are invited to come and show off their ugly sweaters. The best sweater will be awarded with a prize basket!