Lisa Hughes spent the earliest part of her life growing up in Dyer, Indiana. She attended Protsman Elementary School when she was a little girl but moved when she came into third grade, as her parents made the move out to Liberty Township in Porter County. For a while, interestingly enough, she went to a Chesterton school, had a Valparaiso mailing address, and a Portage phone number. Truly, and still even to this day, she embodies the fullness of what it means to be a representative resident of the Region.
Hughes went to Chesterton for high school. The next stop along her educational journey was Purdue University's main campus in West Lafayette. She studied education there, received her degree, then taught as the middle-school science teacher for an impressive 22 years at St. Patrick School, which also is located in Chesterton. During these stages her passion for being surrounded by and beneficially instructing young learners began to flourish.
Now serving as principal of Saint Paul Catholic School in Valparaiso, Hughes is dedicated to making life at school something worthwhile for students. While she was still a teacher, she obtained her master’s degree in administration. Her first taste of working administratively mostly came when she was assistant principal at St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point. Both of the aforementioned roles have helped her to realize some of the best parts about being so involved with the young scholars in the neighborhood around her.
“I do work with the students, though I don’t teach them directly anymore. I make it my goal to engage with them, and a simple greeting can do just that. I don't want to be a person who is just sitting in the office. I like to be out near them because they make the job what it is,” she said.
When she initially arrived at Saint Paul, Hughes noticed the students’ high test scores. She had just come from a Blue Ribbon School, so she thought the distinction could be applied to her new school. She submitted, after a lot of hard work and determination, the application to receive accreditation as one, and it was accepted within a few months’ time.
There wasn’t any Science Olympiad team when she got there, either, compelling her to start one up. It wasn't anything foreign to her since she had been leading the chapters at her past schools, inspiring future doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and engineers, all of whom were once her students.
Just because she commits much of her time and dedication to students does not mean that Hughes doesn't appreciate every last one of the teachers she works beside. There isn’t any way she can’t; genuine love and sincerity go into the relationships she has with them, and that in turn makes educating so much more meaningful and fun. Everything can be seen as a big partnership of sorts.
“I love assisting the teachers and helping them solve the puzzle of how to reach their students, so I do speak with my teachers frequently. I, of course, speak with the parents, too. I believe it's important to have good communication. It takes everybody for the child to be successful,” she said.
Hughes’ long-term goals for the school are promising; she plans to make available more extracurricular activities, a lot of them having been discontinued or altered after COVID-19. The only possible limit on that is the sky, and she won’t stop in getting kids active until her vision for what could be meets reality. For now, she’s making it her duty to understand all the aspects affecting today’s students.
“There is so much more that’s important in the education of a child. You have to look at all facets, emotionally and physically. Sometimes, if you don't provide any opportunities, maybe the child won’t ever discover an area of interest,” she said. “Giving students different opportunities, I want them to be excited about coming to school every day to learn.”
Hughes enjoys traveling with her husband. She likes to spend time with her family, especially her four children. She’s a grandmother to four grandchildren as well. A good book can’t be beat for her as a comforting pastime. Her garden is another notable thief of her leisure.
Even though she’s on the more rural side of Valparaiso, Hughes is still exposed to the splendor of what the city has to offer. Its resurgence has captivated her. However, that’s not to say that what’s already existing about the place doesn’t make everything feel like home.
“I really like the community and all that it has to offer. I love all of these small businesses, and I’m always in support of them,” she said. “Valparaiso has kind of revitalized itself over the past 10 years, with all the restaurants and developments, and that makes us a special community.”