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This same God even show-ers 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 Sa-lem, WI

Psalm 118 begins and ends with these familiar words: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love en-dures forever.” You know those words! They are so familiar to us that perhaps they are now just godly code for, “OK, let’s eat!” 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 him-self 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 de-clare the world righteous-ness! 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.

Give Thanks to the Lord!

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Devotion 1

CC/Tennis 2

Football/

Volleyball 3

Affordable

Clothing 4,5

New Face/

Thankfulness 6,7

Guest

Speakers 8

L U T H E R H I G H

S C H O O L Luther Leader editor Emily Balfanz

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 2 W I N T E R I S S U E

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Sports

Overview

Concussions

WBC

Spring Play

Preview

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P A G E 2

L U T H E R L E A D E R E D I T O R

Cross Country 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!

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 Sommer-feldt; 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

Girl’s Tennis

For the last 6 years, Knights’ tennis has been a power house in the Coulee Con-ference. 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. Indi-vidual champions earning 1st Team All-Conference 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 Ra-chel 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. Con-gratulations, Lady Knights!

Football

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P A G E 3 W I N T E R I S S U E

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: Wy-att Klinski Honorable Mention at Running Back & Linebacker, Nick Trocinski Honor-able 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.

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 con-ference schedule ended up at 3-9. Junior Mariah Schultz was named Coulee Confer-ence 2nd Team, and Senior Katlin Zillmer was named Honorable Mention. The Junior Varsity team finished at 9-5 with the C-Team’s record at 6-6. -Sports Articles by Emily Balfanz

Varsity Volleyball

Affordable Yet Fashionable Clothes

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P A G E 4 W I N T E R I S S U E

Abercrombie and Fitch, Charlott Russe, hoodies, and coats for win-ter wear. A close location to Lu-ther is: 3133 State Hwy 16, La-Crosse, WI 54601608-782-6822.

Cherry Pickers is another re-sale 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 wor-ry if the clothes fit dress code, be-cause they have a vast variety of those too. They stock sizes 00-18 and XS-XXL, so there will cer-tainly 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 once-worn prom dresses to summer clothes to jeans. There are a lot of summer outfits that are in style. There aren’t as many school ap-propriate 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 oth-ers. 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

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 combi-nations 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,

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P A G E 5 W I N T E R I S S U E

Welcome Seung– Soo Lee!

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P A G E 6 W I N T E R I S S U E

The biggest difference, says Seung-Soo, is the time we spend at school. In Ko-rea, 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 ac-tivities, 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, get-ting to play in the gym or practice music. Still, it is not quite the same as participat-ing in organized sports. Here at Luther, Seung-Soo has opportunities to play any variety of sports he wants, play musical instru-ments, and even spend free time with friends. Among the other differences he experi-ences here include the food, no uniforms, and even the

weather and snow. One chal-lenge, however, is the lan-guage 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 oppor-tunity 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 im-portant than this, and it is for these reasons, that reaching out to students like Seung-Soo is so vital in being able to spread the Word of God.

-by Ryan Kastenschmidt

Moving to a new school can be a nerve-racking 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 dif-ferent state, maybe even a different time zone. Now im-agine 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, Wiscon-sin. Learning from all of the craziness that is teenage high school life, it did not take him long to notice the differ-ences in the attitudes toward school in America.

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P A G E 7 W I N T E R I S S U E

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 holi-days, Thanksgiving. Going to an extrava-gant dinner hosted by a family member is one of the most common ways to come to-gether and recognize the gifts God has giv-en 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 Chris-tians through Luther High School. Many things have been placed in our lives to re-mind us of the grace surrounding us.

The Thanksgiving holiday is looked forward to for many reasons. One reason is

the food. Mounds of mashed potatoes, tur-key, 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 fam-ilies 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 fel-low 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

Melissa Oden

“Speak Up For Life”

Chris Dresbach “Live Above the Influence”

Rich’s Ride “On a Journey of Hope”