[Student Reporters] Family Memories Made on Campus

Yoonjin kim / 10th. Westview HS

While Mark Lutgen (9th grade) ate lunch with his friends in the plaza he waved to his dad social science teacher Dan Lutgen who walked by. A few minutes later Mark's mom math teacher Jayne Lutgen passed by telling Mark that he would be going home with her.

This year three of the four Lutgen family members are on the Westview campus.

Being at the same school gives the parents an opportunity to share extra time with Mark before he heads off to college.

Dan also has a chance to interact with Mark's friends at school sometimes. He coaches Mark's JV roller hockey team and some of those players are also in Dan's World History class.

When the two walk out of school together at 3:30 p.m. they talk about their hockey team or an upcoming football game.

"It's those five minutes immediately after school when we just talk; those are the highlights of my day" Dan said. "It's just really minor things subtle details that make me feel that I'm getting closer to Mark."

When the roller hockey season starts they hope to attend all the games as a family: Mom in the stands Dad on the sidelines and Mark in the game.

"I just want to make as many memories as possible with him" Jayne said. "Those five minutes when he stops by during Wolverine Time [tutorial] or the few minutes we have driving to school in the morning all make up an experience that I can just hold on to."

Although Dan sees Mark at school often he wants to give Mark a bit of his own social space.

"I respect him in his own social group" Dan said. "I half expect him to peel away from his parents at school because I understand that sometimes friends should come first."

While Mark enjoys the company of his friends Dan and Jayne occasionally have lunch together. Although they agree that it's nice to have somebody to talk to about both home and work Jayne said that she'd like to keep the work talk at school.

"Sometimes we might just bring our work home and talk about that instead of being able to do fun stuff together" she said. "That takes away from our family time which is really important when time with families is so limited these days. Being together at the same campus also helps with maximizing that time."