January
In memory of Mrs. Dishaw: teacher and friend
By Maria Foss - Knight Writer
Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy
OSHKOSH, WI - High school religion teacher Charlene Dishaw was a friendly, joyful person with a kind heart and a passion for teaching her students about God’s love for them.
The whole school was shocked and saddened when they heard that Dishaw had passed away unexpectedly on the morning of January 2.
“Mrs. Dishaw always seemed to be in a good mood,” sophomore Riley Studinski remembers. “She was so bubbly and full of energy.”
Dishaw was born to late the Charles and Mary Zorch on April 11, 1958 in Rochester, New York. She attended Seton Hill College and graduated with a Bachelors of Art. Later, she received her masters degree from Boston College.
On November 19, 1983, Dishaw married Mark Dishaw in Fairport, New York, and a few years later, adopted two beautiful children: Dante and Margaret.
Dishaw mentored not only her own children, but countless others as a teacher here at Lourdes Academy. She taught for 13 years as a high school theology teacher, touching the lives of her students in countless ways. Dishaw was loved by the other staff members and teachers at Lourdes, especially the high school teachers with whom she worked.
“Lunch will never be the same,” high school English teacher Sue Dolan said. “Charlene always had a funny story to tell - she had a great sense of humor.”
In the classroom, Dishaw enjoyed discussing morality with her students and asking theological questions to make them think. As a teacher, Dishaw was dedicated to bringing her students closer to Christ and teaching them about the beauty of the Catholic faith.
Junior Tate Fabish recalled, “Mrs. Dishaw was so nice. A week before she passed away, she came up to me in the hallway and told me that I had really grown spiritually since she first met me. She was a great teacher.”
Dishaw was an active member of Saint Raphael the Archangel Parish and was seen weekly attending the six o’clock Saturday Mass. She loved watching movies, especially action, comedy, and movies involving Lucille Ball. In addition, Dishaw liked to knit, read, and collect LulaRoe clothing. She was very active on social media, as many of her friends on Facebook know, and loved commenting on posts and videos.
As a teacher, mother, and friend, Dishaw will always be remembered as a special part of Lourdes Academy.
Scooter hockey scoots back to Lourdes, Jan. 25
By James Gross - Knight Writer
Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy
OSHKOSH, WI - On Jan. 25, students and staff from all Lourdes schools will compete in the annual scooter hockey tournament to win the golden scooter hockey-stick award.
According to Shannon Gibson, Development Coordinator for Lourdes, “Scooter hockey was originally started as a FUN-raiser, not necessarily to raise a lot of money, but to celebrate Catholic Schools Week as a system in a really fun way.”
In more recent years, the tournament has been a successful fundraiser as well as a fun event. According to Gibson, funds raised at the scooter hockey event from team admissions go to the general operating budget which funds everything from "teacher wages to toilet paper."
The scooter hockey tournament will kick off Catholic Schools week which is from Jan. 27-Feb 2. One popular feature of Catholic Schools Week is the tuition raffle where a lucky individual will win up to $5,000 which is to be used toward one child’s tuition. Tickets for the raffle will go on sale for $100 the week of Jan. 14, and Lourdes will be selling them the night of scooter hockey and throughout Catholic Schools Week.
Many students and staff are looking forward to this year's tournament and have signed up to compete. Senior Maria Tushar, who will be playing on the team The Plague, is excited about this year’s competition. According to Tushar, The Plague’s other team members are seniors Sophie Laib, Ava McGuire, Rachel Aasby, Izzy Kelly, and Morgan Thiel.
Tushar said her team has done very well in scooter hockey in the past tournaments, and she claims her team has “the intimidation factor.” She also said that experience is a key factor to her team winning. The team The Plague is most fearful of is the Moore family team. However, Tushar is confident The Plague may have a chance to take the Moore family down this year as the Moore team does not have a key player this year: Jackson Moore who is attending college. Tushar claims that her team is stacked with "very good players."
During the scooter hockey competition, each team is guaranteed three games. Once the regular play is over, the top two teams from each bracket are to play until the championship. Each round is seven minutes with three minutes in between the rounds. There are no mercy rules in this game.
Information about scooter hockey and Catholic Schools week can be found at https://www.lourdesacademyoshkosh.org/domain/100
The Epiphany: why we celebrate
By Riley Studinski - Knight Writer
Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy
OSHKOSH, WI Over two thousand years ago on January 6, the Magi followed the star to baby Jesus in Bethlehem on what is now known as the Epiphany.
According to catholicnewsagency.com, “The Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the son of God.” The Epiphany focuses primarily on the revelation that Jesus was the son of God. The three Magi, also known as the three kings or the three wise men, are named Caspar(Gaspar) of India, Melchior of Persia, and Balthasar of Arabia according to whychristmas.com. These wise men bring the three gifts given to baby Jesus at the Epiphany: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The meaning of Epiphany is different depending on where one is from. According to brittanica.com, in the eastern hemisphere, the Epiphany mainly recognizes the Baptism of Jesus Christ and celebrates the revelation that Jesus Christ was both fully man and fully Christ. In the western hemisphere, the Epiphany is known as the twelfth night. The twelfth night is recognized as the night that the three wise men went to Bethlehem to give their gifts to the infant Jesus.
According to timeanddate.com, the Epiphany is the end of the Christmas season and is the first day of the festival season which includes Easter and Mardi Gras.
The Epiphany is celebrated in many different ways around the world. According to timeanddate.com, in some European countries including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, children dress up as the three wise men and go to different people’s houses and sing. In some Latin American countries, it is the three wise men who bring the gifts to children and not Santa Claus. In Spain, children fill their shoes with straw or grain and leave them on their doorstep for the three wise men's horses/camels to eat. When the children wake up in the morning, instead of having grain or straw in their shoes, they will find toys and treats.
According to brittanica.com, “The Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian church.”
The Epiphany is an important holiday no matter what religion you practice or where you are from.
Schoolin’ Sibs: Cooper and Mitchell Wing
By Noah Ralofsky - Knight Writer
Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy
OSHKOSH, WI - For eight years, Cooper and Mitchell Wing have been attending Lourdes Academy together and are happy to be attending school in the same building.
Sophomore Cooper Wing has been schooled in the Lourdes system since first grade. His younger brother seventh grader Mitchell Wing has been enrolled in the Lourdes system since preschool.
As brothers, they have a lot in common. Both of the Wing brothers are members of multiple school sports teams and like to play video games and watch T.V. Even though they are brothers, they have some differences. Cooper said his favorite subject is chemistry while Mitchell’s is math. While Cooper is a part of the track and soccer teams, Mitchell plays basketball, football, and also runs track. Although they both enjoy playing video games, the brothers admit they like to play a different variety. The Wing brothers also enjoy playing sports together when they are not playing video games.
Since Cooper has attended Lourdes High School, he said he has been involved in many clubs and extracurricular activities. These include but are not exclusive to stage crew, ski club, and HALO. Mitchell, on the other hand, is involved in Battle of the Books, Math Bowl, and the Junior Knights Basketball Club at the middle school.
Cooper has most predominantly noticed a staff change since he has left the middle school. From his time in middle school, Cooper most fondly remembers the Trees for Tomorrow trip he took with his class in sixth grade. “It was a great way to get comfortable with new friends and teachers,” Cooper said.
Cooper’s advice on middle school to Mitchell is, “Make sure to always give your best effort, take notes, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Also, find a good friend group with people you trust.”
Although they have their similarities and differences, Cooper and Mitchell are happy they are brothers. Cooper said, “The best thing about having a brother is that he’s always going to be there for me, and we’ll always have each other's backs.”
The Klopfs welcome baby Josephine!
By James Gross - Knight Writer
Student Journalist - Lourdes Academy
OSHKOSH, WI - The most heartwarming sound to Josh and Carly Klopf is the sound of their daughter giggling.
On Dec. 20, Lourdes Academy director of technology Josh Klopf and his wife Carly knew that they would be able to listen to those giggles for a lifetime as the adoption of their baby daughter Josephine became official.
In April 2018, Klopf said they were first blessed with the presence of Josephine when she joined their family as a foster child when she was an infant. The moment Josephine was placed in their arms, the Klopfs fell in love with her. Over the six months the Klopfs fostered Josephine, the bonds grew stronger and stronger. In order to adopt Josephine, the Klopfs said they had to foster her for six months according to the law.
Josh and Carly have also fostered other children before fostering Josephine. They had two children who joined their family as foster children in December of 2017. Josephine then joined the Klopf family in April, four months later. The first two children left the Klopf family in August, but during the time they had three foster children in their home, Josh said life was always exciting. Both he and Carly loved the experience of having a large family. One of the great joys, according to Josh, was driving the kids to different events, going on outings to the park, and driving the kids to and from school.
More of these outings are on the horizon for the Klopfs as they just learned very recently that three new children will be placed in their home on Feb. 15. They are currently preparing the house and looking forward to the children's arrival.
As they patiently wait, the Klopfs continue to be so excited that Josephine has joined their family, and Lourdes is excited to welcome another future Knight into its family.