Leopard Look: Laura Pikl

Daniel Khalil, Staff Writer • January 28, 2020

New JV cheer coach and leadership teacher Laura Pikl corrects a cheerleader’s arm positioning. Before coming to the high school, she taught in Oklahoma.

Laura Pikl started working as the leadership teacher and JV cheer coach for the second semester of the 2019-2020 year. Before coming here, Pikl taught middle school english in Oklahoma.

At a Glance

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Fast Food: Chick-fil-a

Favorite TV show: The Office

Favorite High School Class: AP Literature

Looking Deeper

The Red Ledger: What do you think of the school so far?

Laura Pikl: I’m excited to be at Lovejoy and I love it so far. Everyone’s been super helpful and welcoming–all the other teachers.

TRL: How did you first hear about this position at the school?

LP: I have family friends who work in the district, and when the position became open, one of them thought that I would be a good fit with my cheer background and recommended that I apply for the job.

TRL: What did you do before coming to the school?

LP: I taught English in Oklahoma at a middle school, and before that I went to OU.

TRL: What did you study at The University of Oklahoma?

LP: English language arts education–it’s basically english literature meets secondary education, so I studied to be a high school English teacher.

TRL: So when did you move to Texas?

LP: I moved to Texas right before Christmas. I’m originally from here.

TRL: Were you planning on moving back or did you move back when you got the position?

LP: I was planning on moving back. I knew I wanted to come back to the area and then this job was more of a solidifier.

TRL: How did you get the leadership position here?

LP: I was looking for a job mid year and this one opened up. I was really excited for the opportunity to work at Lovejoy, I’ve heard great things about this school. I thought the cheer position sounded really fun too, and I thought that I had a good background in leadership and that the writing speeches component and that kind of thing could go along with my English background as well.

About the Contributors

Daniel Khalil, Staff Writer

Sophomore Daniel Khalil is in his first year on the Red Ledger Staff, fifth year in band, and he is part of the LHS front ensemble. His hobbies include playing video games, watching youtube, and reading in his spare time. When he’s not on his phone, you’ll usually find him staring off into space and contemplating life or arguing about the plot holes in JJBA with his friends. He has one brother, sister, and a dog (whom he loves more than the rest of his family). This year, Daniel hopes to improve his skills in and outside of school, and he is looking forward to an amazing year.

Olivia Lauter, Section Editor

Heading into her fourth and final year in TRL, senior Olivia Lauter could not be more thrilled to soak up every last minute of shooting sports, events and portraits for her favorite publication. Lauter has spent every day of her high school career with a camera around her neck, and you won’t catch her without it until graduation day. As well as being the photo editor for TRL, Lauter is a varsity cheerleader and involved in PALS and NHS. When she’s not on the sidelines with her camera or cheering on the Leopards, Lauter is with her friends, who she adores more than life itself. You will probably hear “last time, best time” and how “bittersweet” senior year is continually from Lauter this year, but she is just excited to spend one more year doing what she loves alongside the people she loves on TRL.