LPOHS is a one-of-a-kind type of school. Our school is like a family; we strive to be here for each other and earn one another’s respect. Every student and staff has a story. For example, prior to LPO I had a lot of stress, anxiety and depression when it came to school. I was failing all of my classes and struggling with substance abuse. Other than when I was around my family, I felt pretty alone. As soon as I made my decision to come to LPO things started to turn around. New people started talking to me, teachers had my back regardless of what was going on and everyone was really supportive. Over time I realized I wasn’t the only one struggling. My first family meeting made me realize the school is a family and everyone in there is struggling with something. If you really think about it, family meetings are an “assembly,” but LPO is a small school and because of that we can connect on a more meaningful level than other high schools. What we do differently than other schools is give everyone a chance to be involved. We hope that every single person in that family meeting is active and participating in the game or activity. We encourage people to be involved rather than just sitting and watching and feeling like they have no place there. 

One of the games we played at our September 2021 family meeting was “Do You Know Me.” We took two people from each advisory and put them in the front of the gym with numbers 1-20. The rest of the other advisories had to write down their first and last name and something interesting about that person. That game was really successful in building a bond and getting to know everyone. We also do other activities like “Turkey Grams,” “Easter Egg Hunt,” “Secret Santas,” “Student Nominations” and “Student Of The Month.” The Easter Egg Hunt and Secret Santas are fun because it brings the “kid” out of you and gives you an opportunity to do something nice for another person. The Turkey Grams are when we write someone’s name on a card and say something you appreciate about them. Student Nominations are when kids write a name on the card for something that relates to the topic of the family meeting. For instance, our last one was Creativity, kids wrote down something that another student had done that was creative. During the family meeting, the students take turns drawing a name out of the bowl and reading one of the cards. If your name is on one of the cards chosen, you get to select a candy, drink or food item. “Student Of The Month” is when all the teachers and staff get to choose their student of the month and if you get chosen you also get to choose a food, drink or candy. 

We want every person that attends LPO to feel like they belong here and are happy. All the LPO teachers go above and beyond with helping kids academically and with out of school problems as well. I asked almost every student in the school about their favorite thing at LPO, and they all said “the amount of time to work on assignments and how much all the people care.” The students all enjoy and choose to be at the school. We all want everyone to strive and do their best mentally and physically. I would never have imagined that I would feel so connected to a school when I was a sophomore. I am a senior now and I will definitely miss everyone I have met, teachers and students alike. This school has been a huge part of my life helping me get through high school, and a lot of the struggles I have battled.