May 10, 2022 // Uncategorized

Bishop Luers salutatorian committed to faith, community

Jennifer Barton

Journalist

The salutatorian for Bishop Luers High School has a deep sense of commitment to her faith and community. With a cumulative GPA of 4.435, Jane Schroeder placed second academically in the 2022 graduating class at her high school. Long before graduation day, she had committed herself to do her best, both in school and outside of it, following the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church. 

“My faith has ingrained in me a sense of integrity and generosity, which I applied in my high school years. It has encouraged me to give my time to others at school and in the community,” she said. “I take from my faith the motivation to work hard and give my best effort in everything I do.”

Jane is number eight out of 10 children and calls St. Peter Parish in Fort Wayne her spiritual home. Her parents, Dave and Linda, were not overly surprised when they found out that she had been named salutatorian. “She’s such a good student; she always has been,” said Linda. 

“We’re proud of her,” she said. “She’s a great daughter.” What made Linda most proud, however, was not the rank she had achieved, but that her daughter has and will continue to use the talents God gave her in a positive manner to benefit those around her. 

Like her academic peer and Bishop Luers valedictorian, Teddy McComb, Jane was one of around 12 students in the same class at St. Aloysius School in Yoder. The two scholars shared many additional similarities through the years – tennis, Academic Superbowl, National Honor Society and a close circle of school friends. Both of their mothers even work at Lutheran Hospital. Both students chose the same college to continue their education: Purdue University in West Lafayette. There, Jane plans to study Environmental and Ecological Engineering.

“She wants to help the environment, to make the world a better place,” Linda shared. 

Throughout her time at Bishop Luers, Jane has engaged in several different extracurricular activities, joining theater and swim team in her senior year. Her free time is spent playing piano, painting and reading novels, mysteries and historical nonfiction books. 

There are a couple things that Jane will take away from her high school experience, the greatest of which is a stronger spiritual life. She shared, “Here at Luers, there are numerous opportunities to grow in my faith.” 

Prayers before class and sporting events helped “develop in me a habit to incorporate God and faith into everyday things. The sacraments offered at Luers with the school Mass and confessions allowed me to grow closer to God and made me stronger in my faith. I also grew more knowledgeable about the various aspects of Catholicism in religion class.”

She cherishes the friendships made during that time as well. “My treasured memories of high school include the times I spent with my friends. We made great memories at Friday night football games” as well as spending time together as a group in the spring musical this year.