Though Bishop Luers High School has remained relatively small since its opening in the late 1950s, the school is still constantly improving to better accommodate its students. One way it is better engaging its student body is through the elective courses being offered to help students contribute the ir individual talents to the school community. Bishop Luers faculty and administration have continued to expand and shift these elective offerings.  Choir has always been a staple at Bishop Luers. The school offers three different levels: freshman, intermediate, and advanced choir. All are popular choices at Luers. As a student body, we see the choir most at Masses. They lead with their charismatic vocals. Kris Andorfer, the music and show choir director, has worked at Bishop Luers for nine years. He is also a Bishop Luers alum, graduating in 2010. He shares that the choir is important to him because “we have the opportunity to work together as a team, just like a sport.” Along with performing at Masses, the choir performs during the annual Christmas and spring concerts. They perform with Bishop Dwenger at a choir festival every February, and you can hear them at every home football game singing the national anthem. They are also scheduled to sing at an upcoming Komets hockey game. Photos provided by Bishop Luers High SchoolThe Bishop Luers Choir sings during a recent all-school Mass. In class, the choir students work on achieving the highest level of excellence that is possible for students. Senior Elizabeth Stachofsky said: “Choir class is my escape for the day. I love being able to sing with my friends and not stress about any schoolwork. I think everyone should consider choir because it is so fun and a very low maintenance class.” Electives can be a nice relief throughout the school day for students. Bishop Luers strives to update and expand electives to accommodate students’ preferences and enjoyment. Andorfer suggests that students “take a chance! Everyone is going to experience challenges and failures in life, and in choir we specifically learn from or failures and learn how to rise to a level we never thought possible!” Apart from choir, Bishop Luers has an excellent performing arts program. Throughout the school day, Luers offers theater arts, theater production, and other advanced theater courses through Purdue University. These courses help students build improvisation skills, creativity, and team building in fun and creative ways. “What began primarily as performance-based coursework has expanded to include acting, technical theater, directing, design, vocal work, and much more,” said Karlene Krouse, the performing arts department chair. Theater arts and theater production are popular elective choices. Theater Production is a community-based class where students learn to put on a complete play with costumes, stage directions, and all other aspects of producing a show. The students taking Theater Production perform for feeder schools and help younger students get into character by doing their makeup and making their own costumes. Krouse, who has worked at Bishop Luers for 41 years, said she has loved to watch students discover “their confidence, creativity, and leadership through theater.” Past students have been featured in Broadway shows and nominated for Tony Awards, performing in local community theatre and becoming playwrights, theater directors, and educators. Bishop Luers also offers Piano Lab as an elective, which is a unique experience for the Knights student body. Learning piano helps students grow their musical abilities. Piano Lab and any other theater courses are exciting even for students who aren’t interested in the performing arts. “These classes now support students with different interests and learning styles, whether they’re onstage, behind the scenes, developing musical skills or through the dual credit giving students a head start on their college career,” Krouse said. Not only does Luers offer electives in music and theater, but there are also other classes that help students prepare for real-world experiences, including personal finance, leadership development, introduction to business, introduction to accounting, advance accounting, psychology, and sociology. These courses are thoroughly enjoyed by students. Over the years, these courses have been modified to highlight the importance of each subject in fun and educational ways.  Lastly, Bishop Luers has a strong art program that recently has seen some students receive impressive rewards. At the 2026 Scholastic Art Awards, junior Nazaria Coates was awarded the Silver Key for poetry and honorable mention for mixed media art. Sophomore Victoria Koenig was awarded a Silver Key for graphic design and honorable mention for painting. Sophomore Stephanine Martinez was awarded a Silver Key for sculpture. Students who won art awards pose with their work. They are, from left, sophomore Victoria Koenig, junior Nazaria Coates, and sophomore Stephanine Martinez. Bishop Luers offers multiple courses in art that encompass many different principles throughout the semester, including intro and advanced 2D art, which showcases students’ abilities to create life on paper. In prior years, students have enjoyed creating pop-art self-portraits and collage paintings that reflect their favorite things and hobbies. We also offer intro to 3D art and advanced 3D art. Students in these classes enjoy sculpting different characters and molding with clay and plaster. These art courses offer a variety of projects using different techniques and materials. When visiting Bishop Luers, it is hard to miss the incredible student artwork that line the hallways.  These elective courses help round out a student’s day to make it more enjoyable, as it is well known that students work better in classes that pertain to what they are interested in. Electives are so important for students, especially ones that are exploring what they want to do for college. High school students are the future of this world, and it is important to treat them as such. Growing and adapting electives at Bishop Luers has made academic and social life much more enjoyable for students and teachers. This creates a stronger atmosphere and a better day at school! At Bishop Luers, you are sure to find something you enjoy – and good people to share it with. As Krouse said, “You don’t have to be experienced to belong here.” Lyla Kelty is a senior at Bishop Luers High School. 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