“ONCE A LAKER, ALWAYS A LAKER” was one of the messages written on a large piece of poster paper hanging from LOHS’s second-floor landing barrier, greeting students as they returned from a long three-day weekend on Tuesday, Feb. 18. “WEAR PURPLE AT THE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH BASKETBALL GAME[S]” was another, advertising the “Purple 4 Peri” t-shirts intended for wear at the 6:00 p.m. girls’ and 7:30 p.m. boys’ varsity games versus Lakeridge. This “Battle of the Lake” game and “Purple-Out” were dedicated to the memory of beloved teacher Mario Peri, who taught social studies at LOHS for 27 years before tragically passing away due to stage IV pancreatic cancer on Oct. 24, 2024.
That Tuesday, a presentation was shown in every A2 class outlining the event and its fundraising efforts for Project Purple and the Mario Peri Social Studies Scholarship Fund (MPSSSF). Wednesday through Friday, Purple 4 Peri t-shirts were sold for $12 each during lunch. The following Monday, students received one purple beaded necklace each in Advisory class, encouraging them to participate in a school-wide rock paper scissors competition for other students’ necklaces.
The next day, an assembly was held in the gym. ASB Spirit Director Charlie Crandall started the assembly with a short speech before transitioning to a slideshow projected onto a drop-down screen which highlighted what Peri meant to LOHS. It included videos and images of Peri and his family, narrated by teachers close to him, such as Gerrit Koepping, who reflected upon the fact that Peri had been his lunch buddy for 27 years. “There is an empty seat in your memory every day at lunch,” he said. Then, after Crandall introduced her and the crowd gave a standing ovation, Kristin Peri—Peri’s wife of 33 years—took the podium. She cried when she spoke about how Peri had planned to retire after the 2024-2025 school year before learning of his condition.
Afterward, the slideshow continued with clips of Peri’s former students. Next, a montage of the school’s two varsity basketball teams was shown before both teams ran into the gym and removed their Purple 4 Peri shirts to reveal purple Laker jerseys underneath. A three-point contest between both teams followed. Then, there was the championship rock-paper-scissors tournament featuring the students who won the most purple beaded necklaces on Monday. Finally, all staff present at the assembly formed a line down the center of the gym, linked arms and, along with students, sang the Laker Alma Mater.
That night, during the Battle of the Lake, the girls varsity team beat Lakeridge 39-35. Although the crowd turnout was initially disappointing, it steadily grew until, by the time the boys’ game started, the stands were practically a sea of purple. Unfortunately, the boys varsity team faced a 69-53 loss. A donation box was present at both games, and 100% of the money raised went towards the MPSSSF and pancreatic cancer research.
While Peri will never again teach a class at LOHS, make his students laugh, brighten his colleagues’ day by simply being at school or offer the love only a husband and father can to his family, he will never be forgotten. The impact his warm presence had on LOHS is everywhere—you only have to ask. The first MPSSSF recipient will be announced this spring.
