Gavin Meyers hand selected for

Blue-Grey All American Bowl

Raechel Russo - Knight Writer

Student Journalist - Lourdes academy

Senior football punter Gavin Meyers was chosen to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 13.

Meyers played in the bowl at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, which is where the Atlanta Falcons play their home football games. Meyers was recognized by recruiters through Kohl’s kicking camps. After watching Meyers perform at the camps, the recruiters asked Meyers to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. Meyers wore number 27 on the blue team. Sadly, the blue team lost 20-27.

Although the blue team lost, Meyers said, “I was excited to show what I could do on a national stage.” With family and friends cheering Meyers on from back home in Wisconsin, high school football coach Kevin Wopat said, “I couldn’t have been more proud of Gavin and his accomplishments. He’s worked so hard.”

According to the NFL, the average professional punt length is 47 yards. Meyers stats for the game include eight punt attempts for the average of 45 yards with a long of 61 yards and three punts inside the 10 yard line.

Meyers said he wants to continue both his academic and athletic career after high school. Meyers said he has received offers from multiple Division I schools including University of Iowa and North Dakota State. Meyers has also received an offer from Division II school The University of Minnesota Duluth.

Meyers said, “The Blue-Grey game assured me that I want to continue to play college football.” Meyers has yet to make his decision and commit to a university, but it is most likely that he will wear a football jersey for another four years.

Boys to Men

By Annie Schraa - Knight Writer

Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy

In 2015, Lourdes Academy introduced a new club to the male students called the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where giddy high school boys are refined into outstanding gentlemen.

About four years ago, several Lourdes Academy dads discussed that their own sons and other young men were lacking elements of a gentleman. The dads felt that the skills that they were taught as young men weren’t being taught as strongly to young men anymore.

Mentors Sam Olmsted, Kevin Ralofsky, Mark Lasky, Mike Pollack, Todd Kaull, and Rob Chartier shared their thoughts and concerns to the director of advancement Karen Boehm, former associate principal Carie Kollat, and former principal Bob Beibel and presented their ideas of starting a club for senior boys to learn important, life-long skills that would benefit them for the rest of their lives. The mentors wrote their own curriculum and allowed any senior boys to attend the club.

Mentor Mike Pollack explained that during the monthly LOEG meetings, members learn the necessary skills of becoming an independent and reliable gentleman. Some of these skills include learning how to sew a button onto a garment, how to start a grill and properly use it, how to properly filet and prepare a fish, how to iron their own clothes properly, and how to correctly drive a stick shift.

The members also learn how to organize a dinner table place setting and how to properly use the different utensils, how to properly change a car tire and jump start a car, and how to unclog a toilet. Finally, the members also learn the importance of sportsmanship and camaraderie on and off the court.

The mentors also created Neck Tie Tuesday where all the members dress up and wear ties every Tuesday to differentiate themselves from the other male students in a positive way.

Depending on the meeting’s discussion topic, the mentors have taken the club members out in the community or have invited guest speakers from around the community to come and speak at the meetings. The LOEG will be attending a Herd basketball game for February’s meeting as the discussion topic is focusing on camaraderie and sportsmanship on and off the court.

Mentor Todd Kaull said he enjoys observing the different elements each member takes away each year because each student takes away his own important aspect. Kaull said that it is interesting that each student is so different and they take away their own important element of the club regardless that the club is taught the same to each member.

Mentor Sam Olmsted said he enjoys spending time with the members and drawing attention to skills that usually get overlooked by young men throughout their busy lives.

The members of the LOEG are nominated each year by the previous members. The club is open to all senior boys, however, even if a student is not nominated. The 2019-2020 LOEG members nominated by last year’s members include Caden Chier, Tate Fabisch, Keely Mains, Patrick Derleth, Gavin Meyers, Noah Ralofsky, Keagan Stelzer, and Nathan Barfknect.

Senior Nathan Barfknect said his favorite part about "The League" is the ability to learn new skills that he knows will help him for the rest of his life, and he said he found that learning to tie a tie was quite challenging.

Senior Caden Chier said his favorite part about the club is cooking and dining because he enjoys cooking at home. The most difficult aspect of the club for Chier is getting used to everything he is being taught until it becomes muscle memory.

Senior Keely Mains said he enjoys getting to try new things that he has never done before like shining shoes. He finds that the skills he learns in "The League" are important for his future when he needs to present himself well to others.

Senior Gavin Meyers said he thinks that the LOEG has been beneficial for him. He said he has learned how to present and introduce himself properly at meetings or interviews and has become a better man. He said he has also learned how to handle himself in various business situations.

Senior Tate Fabisch said he thinks that the LOEG is important because it teaches young men how to be extraordinary gentlemen in day to day life. He said he thinks that future members of "The League" would benefit from learning how to mow a lawn or use a snowblower.

Senior Noah Ralofsky said he finds that "The League" is an important part of Lourdes because it gives senior boys the ability to learn essential life skills. Ralofsky also agrees that Fabisch’s idea of learning how to mow a lawn and snow blow a driveway would be a beneficial lesson for future members.

Senior Patrick Derleth said he is thankful for the opportunity to learn important life skills that he has not been able to thoroughly learn at home because of his busy schedule. “ I always seemed to be running out of time to go over with my dad on how to tie a tie,” Derleth said. He also said he feels that the club helps to make the senior boys more well-rounded and well-versed in the ways of the world, specifically when it comes to the world of business.

Derleth said he finds that the LOEG helps each senior boy become a better version of himself by building on the foundations of virtue. Derleth would like to see the LOEG work more closely with the Tuesdays with Mary club. “This would help the young men of Lourdes to work on becoming not only well-rounded men but also faith-filled men who desire to spread the joy and subsequent kindness of the Good News with everyone they meet,” Derleth said.