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Dear Classmates, 

     I apologize for the long delay in CLHS news, but this has been a rather interesting year in our household with the added responsibility of keeping one of the Chinese exchange students CLHS sponsored this year.  We had to be regular parents, taking her to school and home every day, going to her school events, and getting a graduation party ready at the end of the year.  However, it was a wonderful experience, and since she plans to come back and attend Purdue next year, we will now be college parents having her come at all vacations, etc.  It wasn't exactly something we were planning on at our age, but it was great.  

     Graduation - Graduation now takes place at the Embassy every year.  I know many of you are still upset that ours was moved from Zollner to the Senior College, but the days of outdoor graduations are now history.  There were 170+ graduates this year, and one of the speakers was Kent Keller, my company captain, Class of '61, and this year's Alumnus of the Year.  He didn't remember me, but that's okay because neither do a lot of other people.  Next year's attendance may drop under the 700 mark which will put enrollment about 50 more than when we graduated.  

     Spring Activities - The CLHS choir once again went to state and finished seventh in a contest which makes no enrollment distinctions.  They were going up against some of the biggest schools in the state.  I again encourage you to try to make the Christmas concert some day if you are in the area.  The band and choir programs are phenomenal.  Unfortunately, the band director is leaving CLHS to return to school to get his master's degree so a replacement needs to be found.  No sports team went very far in tournaments, but we did have an incredible track performance by a junior named Reece Gibson who keeps coming up short every year at the state meet.  Listen to this McCollister and Borcherding!!!  This guy ran a 9:07 two-mile at state and finished THIRD!  The other two are seniors so he should finally get his first-place finish next year.   

     Staffing - Two long-time faculty members, Pastor Joe Gudel and Chris Gieschen, have retired as of this year.  Another teacher, Chris Brune, has taken a position as principal at St. Peter's Grade School in Fort Wayne so there will be a need for some replacements.  There are a few of our guys left around town like Bill Ihssen, Gene Falkenstern, Kurt Jordan, and Jack Massucci, but they are obviously no longer teaching.  The baseball field has been named Massucci Field, and Jack is around there quite often.  

     CLHS Climate - There are some incredible teachers in key areas at CLHS that have created a great atmosphere for students to find their niche.  These teachers have created Christian bonds with kids in their areas of responsibility that I guess I would have to say were not as prevalent when we were here.  It's a great place for kids to be.  There are always problems anywhere, but you can feel good knowing there are a lot of great teachers at our alma mater.