Grace Leduc: Senior Spotlight
L: What is your favorite class?
G: Art.
L: What do you like to do for fun?
G: Running, crafts, and reading.
L: Advice for freshmen?
G: Talk to your classmates, even if they aren’t your best friends, because you're going to be spending a lot of time with them over the next four years.
L: If you could change one thing that you did in high school, what would it be?
G: Playing basketball as a freshman.
L: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
G: Flying.
-Lilly Roehl
Senior Spotlight: Ellie Daub
Eliza Stearns: What are your plans after high school?
Ellie Daub: I’m going to be here for two years doing generals and pre-nursing courses online. Then go to a college about an hour from my house to finish out my nursing degree. Oh, and I’m getting married in three years!
ES: At least you have a deadline, Lex…?
ES: What's your go to shower song?
ED: The Greatest Showman has some of the greatest songs to sing in the shower. If not The Greatest Showman then probably “Defying Gravity,” cause when my voice is all warmed up I can sing it all fancy like the ladies in Wicked do it.
ES: What is something you do when you’re bored?
ED: Probably too much scrolling, but I try to read my Bible.
ES: If you got to choose your name what would it be and why?
ED: Am I a boy or girl?....
ES: I don't know; you tell me.
ED: If I was born a boy, I would wanna be Peter. It's my favorite name. But if God still decided that I'm a woman, one of my baby names is Alora. I love that name.
ES: When and where were you born?
ED: I was born on June 11, 2009, in either Bozeman or Billings, Montana. I don’t remember.
ES: What is a food combination you just can’t get behind?
ED: My cousin!!
ES: What?
ED: I was at my great grandma’s house and my cousin got this raspberry lemon sorbet, put pickled beets in it, and then dipped green peppers in it! That I can't get behind.
ES: How many siblings do you have?
ED: I have my older brother Alek, and then two little brothers: Abraham, and my best friend, Solomon. He's my buddy.
ES: What's one of your best high school memories?
ED: Tour Choir last year, and the Millston concert, because there were so many little kids. It was also the concert right after Trinity got engaged, so it was just really, really special for everyone.
ES: What TV show would you want to be in, and why?
ED: Bluey!! I wanna be in Bluey!! I love Bluey.
ES: Why?
ED: The parents are how every parent should act. And I want to be one of those kids Bluey plays with!
ES: What is some advice you have for freshmen?
ED: It's going to be tough. It's going to be different than all your schooling before. You're gonna feel like you want to give up sometimes, but it's important to remember God put you here for a reason. You can do everything to His glory and He’s going to help you through it.
ES: Socks to bed or not?
ED: Yessss!!!! My feet have to be warm. If they are cold I will wake up freezing. I would cry.
ES: My roommate is a psychopath…
ED: If my feet are cold…there’s nothing left in life for me. Except Jesus. I have that too.
Favorites:
Color: orange and yellow
Book: Don't ask me that! I like them all, but right now Marissa Meyer books.
Movie: Harry Potter is good
Bible Verse: Psalm 30:5 is one of my favorites.
Food: Not school food. Actually fruit.
Ice-cream: Dairy Queen, strawberry cheesecake blizzard.
Prof: Schaller for life.
Senior Spotlight: Elijah Freberg
K-Katie
E-Elijah
K: When/where?
E: March 8, 2008, at the now closed Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire.
K: School you went to growing up?
E: Messiah Lutheran School, Eau Claire.
K: Any advice for the freshmen?
E: Enjoy this while you have it. It goes by WAY too fast. It's honestly scary.
K: Plans for after high school?
E: Take one break year, go hiking on the North Country Trail, start in Pick City, North Dakota, end in the Porcupine Mountains in the UP. After that, I will probably return to ILC for Pre-The. That, or I’ll go to CVTC to become an electrician.
K: Stranded on an island, 3 things?
E: Fishing pole, infinite wood, and some butter.
K: If you could go back to any year in the past, what would you choose and why?
E: 1953 or 1954. In 1953, Hank Aaron played for the Eau Claire Bears. I would have loved to see that. In 1954, Aaron played his first game ever in the MLB. That was the start of the career of the greatest player of all time. In any sport. HM: 1974. The year Aaron broke the home run record. I’m sure you see a re-occurring theme.
K: If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
E: Either fish, or just give me some potatoes. I love me some potatoes.
Favorites:
Class: PE 9 or 10.
Prof: Lau
Campus Meal: French Bread Pizza
Movie: How to Train Your Dragon 2. Peak Cinema.
Color: Sky blue, but specifically in the winter. It has a nice gray touch to it.
Sport: Baseball
MLB/NFL team: Phillies/Vikings
Freshman: Jed
Sophomore: Drew
Junior: Jacob or Tom
Senior: I plead the fifth.
-Katie Kloke
Michael Lang - Senior Spotlight
If you could describe your high school experience in one word, what would it be?
Eventful
What is your favorite high school memory?
Sledding hooked on to a car
What is your favorite meal?
Walking tacos
What is your favorite sport?
Soccer
Favorite color?
Cyan
Favorite place?
Dorm rooms
Favorite movie?
Wall-E
If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want to have?
Rope, automatic boat, wakeboard
What would you do if you had one more day to live?
Skydive with friends
Favorite class?
Consumer Economics
Hobbies
Long-boarding, photography, and editing
Where did you live before coming to ILC
Rosemount, MN
Where do you want to live?
West Virginia
What do you want to do after you graduate? Piloting
Any advice to any new students coming to ILHS?
Don’t spend all your time in your room; spend time with your friends!
Interview - Mrs. Lydia Buck (new office worker to replace Jennifer Schaller)
How do you like working here so far?
Mrs. Buck said, “I’m loving it, especially keeping in contact with people from high school, and I love working with Mrs. Lau, Mrs. Quam, and Mrs. Pfeiffer!”
Where are you from?
Mrs. Buck is from Okabena, Minnesota. She joked, “A town with almost as many people as students enrolled at Immanuel.”
What are your favorite hobbies?
Mrs. Buck loves baking, art, being outside, watching movies, getting coffee with people, and quilting.
When did you graduate?
May of 2025
What did you love most about your time at ILC?
She loved being able to be in a Christian atmosphere, and being surrounded with the Word. She also said she made some of her closest friends here, and loves the beautiful campus.
What’s your favorite part of the job so far?
Mrs. Buck said that she loves daily interactions with the students. She also remarked, “Having the profs go from instructors to coworkers is so cool!”
What are your responsibilities in this job?
Mrs. Buck’s responsibilities are to make sure the phones are locked up, keep attendance records, do bank transactions, do scheduling, and post the daily bulletin.
Tell me about your family.
Mrs. Buck is the youngest of five children. She has three nieces in addition to three nephews, with two more on the way! Mrs. Buck married Noah Buck last June, almost three months ago!
What’s the hardest part of the job?
Mrs. Buck said that remembering how to do everything was hard, but that everyone around her is so helpful!
Tell us about your summer.
Mrs. Buck spent the two weeks between her high school graduation and her wedding finishing planning her wedding. She then went to Bayfield, Wisconsin for her honeymoon. Upon returning, Mrs. Buck settled into her new house. Over the summer, she and her husband went to Okabena a few times and spent a weekend at her husband’s grandfather’s cabin. She also spent several days training with Mrs. Jennifer Schaller for her new job.
-Claudia Gurgel
Rachel Plath Interview
Editors Note - Rachel Plath is one of our new supper cooks! Right now, she is cooking Monday and Wednesday nights. Get to know her in this article so you can say “Hi!” when you go through the line. - E.D.
A: What are your two favorite colors?
R: Blue and probably sage green.
A: How long ago were you married?
R: I got married on July 19, only two months ago.
A: When did you begin cooking in the cafeteria?
R: I worked in the kitchen in high school, but I didn’t cook anything until this year.
A: What’s your favorite food?
R: Uhhhh….. That’s a hard question… maybe Mexican food like tacos or quesadillas.
A: What’s your favorite meal to make?
R: I make a lot of casseroles and I really like making desserts, especially since I get to pick what I make.
A: What do you enjoy most about cooking?
R: I like trying to make the food better for you guys because I know it’s not always best.
A: Do you agree with pineapple on pizza?
R: It’s actually not that bad. I like the sweet and salty flavors.
A: What’s the weirdest food combo that you enjoy?
R: I put salt on my yogurt. I like to put salt on everything. I enjoy cinnamon and salt too.
A: If you had access to an unlimited amount of any ingredients you could possibly want, what would you make?
R: Probably some kind of breakfast food. I'd probably do blueberry French toast with a casserole. I like making breakfast foods.
-Aurora Willitz
Jeremiah Fact #1
Jeremiah needs more hair.
An Interesting Question
By: Levi Willitz
This past week many students at Immanuel were asked this question:“If you could add one unique and interesting class to high school, what would it be?”
These are some of the most creative and exciting answers that they thought of:
“Cooking”“Modelmaking”“A class about Europe”“A class about how to be an adult- paying taxes, managing income, etc.”“A class on how to run a store”“How to be a freshmen”“Baseball Class”“Study of the NBA”“A class where you make things”“Welding”“Engineering”“Architecture”“Writing”“A study of the different varieties of food”“More advanced history class”“A new language option: Japanese”“A tutorial of how to play games”“Instruction on chess strategy”
Staff Satires
What do you think the staff did over the summer? I had some ideas of my own. All of these, of course, are not based on fact, and should not be taken as the truth. However, if you wish to join my little land of delusion you are more than welcome.
Ross Roehl: hacked into NASA’s computer system so he could broadcast the importance of spiritual fitness to alien races.
Jeffrey Scherenbiek: discovered a new element and named it Schierenbeckium so that maybe his students would finally learn how to spell his name.
Dan Schierenbeck: realized that he missed threatening his students, so dressed up in a ninja suit and threatened people in downtown Eau Claire who didn’t know what alliteration was.
Mark Weis: spent his summer condensing his class material so his students could play card games all day.
Joe Lau: secretly joined a prestigious men’s volleyball team and carried them all the way to nationals, but then had Prof Roehl delete all footage so ILC wouldn’t be swarmed with paparazzi.
Steve Sydow: cataloged the whole library WHILE running a marathon with all the books in his hands.
Joel Gullerud: took Buzzfeed quizzes in Spanish to find out who he REALLY is.
Karen Johannes: took aerobics to a whole new level with Big Girl’s Don’t Cry and got super ripped.
Laurie Lau: created her own women’s choir and would take them to solo and ensemble if they weren’t all so old.
Lydia Buck: created a new version of peanut butter brownies that contain anchovies and are somehow amazing.
Dave Rodebaugh: planned out the Immanuel sports schedule for the next five years, even though he knows it will be changed the day before.
Ellie Daub
Eli Kelly
When and Where were you born?
March 3, 2008, Eau Claire, WI
What is your favorite memory from high school?
In my freshman year, a couple dudes and I popped a water balloon in the bathroom during formal.
What has been your favorite year at Immanuel, and why?
Junior year, cuz it was the easiest.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like fixing stuff and playing video games.
Any big plans now that you’re class president?
I’m a conduit for the people.
If you could switch bodies with one person for a whole day, who would you choose?
Probably someone in a coma so I could get some really good sleep.
What are your plans for after high school?
Working at Culver’s.
If you could change one thing at Immanuel, what would it be?
Bring our phones back.
Any advice for the noobies?
Make a lot of friends, probably one of the most important parts of high school.
​
Favorites
Color? Blue
Prof? Thurow
Class? Health 9
Food? Anything
Freshies? Kendall
Sophs? Dave
Junes? Will
Seniors? Michael and Carter
Eli in ten years?
Michael - Making bank while owning Culver’s.
Carter - Either in a homeless shelter or a luxurious house; there is no in between, probably the first one though.
Joanna - Owning Culver’s and married with a bunch of kids who all work at Culver’s.
Kenzie - Definitely working at Culver’s. Probably still getting together with Carter to go do random stuff. Oh, and definitely stealing a michaelwave (microwave) with Michael so that he can make people food.
Editor's Note - When asked to give us a picture of himself, he sent in this picture of a donkey. Do you see the resemblance? - E.D.
-Kenzie Koenig
Kenzie Anna Koenig
By Zara Wales
Z: Zara
K: Kenzie
Z: When and where were you born?
K: December 27, 2009, in Lexington, South Carolina.
Z: What is some advice you have for freshmen/new students?
K: Get out and make friends and don’t be the weird kid in the corner. Everyone says the same thing, but it’s true.
Z: What would you want your last meal to be?
K: I’m gonna have to go with a simple burger and fries. But the fries have to be really good, not too soggy or crunchy.
Z: If you could commit a crime and not get punished, which one would you choose and why?
K: I feel like I’d rob a bank so I could be rich.
Z: What is your biggest pet peeve?
K: Oh, when people chomp on their gum.
Z: What is your best dorm memory?
K: There are so many… freshman year, Katie, Annie, and I took one of my rolly storage bins outside, and I sat on it and rolled down the hill. But then it broke.
Z: Would you rather be a stick or a rock, and why?
K: A rock, because rock beats scissors, and… stick doesn’t beat anything. Rock should beat paper too.
Z: What is the best compliment you have ever received?
K: Freshman year, in a class with Prof. Rodebaugh. Grant and I were having a compliment competition in his notebook, and he called me beautiful.
Z: What is the best ice cream topping?
K: I feel like if it’s plain ice cream you have to go with any syrup; it just depends on the flavor.
Z: What is your best pick-up line?
K: I have to think back to last year when I was in my pick-up line phase. Oh! “Are you a Goldfish? Because you look like a snack that smiles back.”
Z: What is something you wish you would have done freshman year?
K: Honestly, freshman year was the best. I did everything I wanted to do.
Z: If you could learn one skill instantly, what would it be?
K: I feel like I’d go with being smart.
Z: If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?
K: My boyfriend, Liam.
Z: What is the dumbest way you have been hurt?
K: Okay, I hurt myself every day. The first thing that comes to mind is my grandma running my foot over with her car.
Z: If you could add one word to the dictionary, what would it be, and what would it mean?
K: “Booshina.” It would mean “bestie.”
Z: What’s your favorite memory from Tour Choir?
K: So for freshman year we went on a riverboat in Texas, and our tour guide was very zesty. Every time he would try to get our attention he’d say, “Look at me, look at me, heyyy!” but in a very zesty way. So, for the rest of the tour, we would all keep saying it to each other.
-Favorites
Color: Rose gold
Food: Burgers
Person: Besides Jesus, my boyfriend
Sport: Softball
Movie: Pride and Prejudice
Hobby: Singing or playing flute
Smell: Eucalyptus mint
Seasons: Fall and spring
Senior Spotlight - Joe Cornish
Eliza: When and where were you born?
Joe: August 26, 2008, in Mankato, MN
E: Do you have any siblings?
J: Yeah, two brothers.
E: What's your favorite dorm memory?
J: Playing Madden past bed checks before formal
E: What do you do when you're bored?
J: …play Madden
E: What are your plans after high school?
J: To be a pro Madden player
E: I’m sensing a theme here ….
J: Yeah
E: If you could have picked your name, what would it be?
J: Derwin James. No, no, Santa Claus! Noooo, Saint Nick. Yeah, Saint Nick.
(jingle jingle jingle - Michael Lang)
J: Michael, this is my interview!
M: Wait, are you writing this all down?
E: Yes
E: What's a song you scream at the top of your lungs?
J: “Like It’s Christmas" by the Jonas Brothers. Oh! and “Always Gonna Boom” by AJ and Big Justice
E: If you could live with any fictional character, who would it be and why?
J: Black Widow. She could protect me.
E: Any advice for freshmen?
J: Don't shower in the morning….wait! Shower, but shower at night.
E: Socks or no socks to bed?
J: What? Who wears socks to bed?! No socks. Unless they are Madden socks.
E: Something no one knows about you?
J: I love Christmas.
Favorites:
Book: Captain Underpants
Color: Green
Movie: Top Gun
Favorite Juniors: Tanner and Landon (?)
Prof.: Schaller
Class: Study hall
-Eliza Stearns
Senior Spotlight - Lex Lee
What is your favorite color?
Purple
What would you say is your favorite memory at ILC?
Running around in the dorm with my friends
If you could be a townie, would you want to?
Absolutely not
If you had to play a sport, what would it be?
Basketball
What is your favorite food?
All the foods
What is your favorite subject in school?
Geography
If you could have any super power, what would it be? The ability to summon food
What is your favorite drink?
Milk
If you could go to any place for a week, where would it be?
Norway
If you won one million dollars, what is the first thing you would buy?
Invest it
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Make healthcare free
What is your favorite animal?
Dog
If you could bring back anyone from the dead, who would it be?
Albert Einstein
What is some advice you would give to the new freshman?
Balance work and social life
-Eli Lee
New Dorm RA’s and JV Volleyball Coaches: Audrey Arndt and Hannah Kazemba
R: Reagan
A: Audrey
H: Hannah
R: When and Where?
A: I was born in Valentine, Nebraska April 6, 2007.
H: Fairmont, Minnesota September 29, 2005.
R: What has been your favorite memory from the dorm?
A: Being able to be in almost all of the activities on campus with my friends.
H: Getting to go into other people's rooms and talk to them, like your best friend is living right down the hall.
R: And from volleyball?
A: My junior year Gabby set me up and I had to come over and I hit it down and it was in front of the ten foot line; there was complete silence and I heard Vance’s friends say to him “Ohhhh Vance, don't make her mad.”
H: Just our hype up before volleyball games in the locker room.
R: Why did you choose to coach volleyball?
A: For me it was definitely my favorite part and I love cheering on my teammates, and idk if you can tell, but I love cheering and I get to cheer.
H: Mine's way more selfish. It's the closest thing I can get to playing volleyball without playing and I do enjoy it. It's so fun.
R: What is your favorite position to play in volleyball?
A: Middle blocker, although you played with me your sophomore year. I love just moving around and feeling busy. It was definitely a learning curve, but it was so fun to learn.
H: I did love middle, but probably libero. I just love digging up someone's hard hit or getting a ball no one thought I'd get.
R: What are you going to college for?
A: Teaching program.
H: Education program. (both giggle for a while)
R: If you could pick any name for yourself, what would it be?
A: Sidenote: my grandma doesn’t like her name. She says she feels bad for all the little girls who are named that… Sorry, back on track. I would actually name my kid this too - Andy for both genders.
H: I don't want to give anyone a big head, so I'll say Harper.
R: If you were a Barbie, what Barbie would you be?
A: (both fangirl for a little bit) Annalise, from Princess and the Pauper.
H: Is that the blonde one? Ok, I'll do the other one, Erica from Princess and the Pauper.
R: What’s your favorite joke?
A: What do you call a person that takes care of chickens….a “chicken tender.”
H: Oh, my goodness. This is an in depth one. Ok, there was this pastor that needed a horse and he went to the horse dealership to look for a horse. They said, “Oh, we found the perfect one for you. When you want it to stop you say “amen,” but when you want it to speed up you say “praise the Lord.” So he takes the horse out and he’s going for a long ride when he sees a cliff ahead. “Oh no, stop.” But it didn’t stop, so he starts praying and he says “amen” and the horse stops. And so the pastor says, “Oh, my goodness, praise the Lord” and he falls off the cliff.
R: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
A: I don't want to hurt a horse. I could defeat them with love.
H: Ducks are so mean; I would definitely go for the 100 duck-sized horses.
R: If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends assume?
A: I would be fleeing the country in my sports car weaving in and out of traffic at high speed. I would be in a high speed chase.
H: My friends would know, but I think it would be driving on the wrong side of the road or parking where I shouldn't be.
R: Would you rather have a pop quiz every day or a 10- page essay due every Friday?
A: Pop quiz; my creative juices turn off after 2 pages.
H: Pop quiz, definitely.
R: Which teacher would win in a talent show and what would they perform?
A: I was thinking it would be Doctor Dan in a rap battle.
H: We all know it would be Prof Rodebaugh doing martial arts and singing, but he's also really good at poetry.
Audrey’s Favorites
Color: Dark emerald green
School Meal: Hamburgers
College Class: Education 101
Ice cream: Any combination of chocolate and peanut butter
Free time hobby: Painting or embroidery
Sport: Volleyball
Hannah’s Favorites
Color: Lilac
School Meal: Orange chicken
College Class: Science 101
Ice cream: Chocolate ice cream with Reese's peanut butter cups
Sport: Softball
Free time hobby: sewing or knitting
It’s happening…It’s been happening
The school shooting in Minneapolis, now conservative Christian activist, Charlie Kirk, assassinated. Persecution has been happening all over the world, but because it wasn't here it was just easier to ignore it, or put it to the back of our minds. But here it is, and it is happening. It has been happening all over the world: North Korea, Iran, Nigeria, and so many more places. Sometimes we just want to forget what's happening around us and go back to our “normal living” because, quite frankly, facing this problem is terrifying. We can't ignore this problem. It’s not going to go away just because we choose to ignore it. It's only getting bigger and closer. I'm not saying this to scare you; I'm saying this because God calls us to “be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). We have to fight for our beliefs. Not tomorrow, not next week, NOW! We have to fight today. When we hear about Christians being persecuted, we tend to want to stop spreading the word for fear of judgment, or worse: a new fear of persecution. The Bible says we should do quite the opposite of cowering in fear. The Bible says, “but whoever denies me before men I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). But do not be afraid! Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
- anonymous <3 :)
Weird Things Heard Around Campus
“If I start kissing you in the middle of the night, just let it happen.”
“Babe, I know what we're doing at our next luau.”
“I'll take one for the team and play the antichrist.”
“Why is Eli looking at the hairiness of my leg?”
“I feel like I have 30,000 babies in my stomach” - Male Child
“I’m trying to maximize the attractiveness of my body.”
“Can we watch K-Pop Demon Hunters instead?”
“Are you calling us vegetables?”
“Give me Schaller or give me death.”
And some from the profs…
“Your toes are hard to read.”
“Cute, furry, round-eyed freshmans.”
“Kayden, hold me up while I do some pullups.”
“Are the Powerpuff Girls epic heroes?”
“Wise words from Carter. Making deals with the devil is not good.”
“Don’t mess with mama bear, Grendal!”
“Who should we murder now? Do you wanna be murdered or do you wanna murder me?”
“My wife spawned a kid the other day.”
-Ellie Daub