Though he no longer lives in Lapeer, Zach Fritz often thinks back on his time with Lapeer Community Schools with happiness and excitement.

These days, the 2016 graduate calls Ohio home with his wife of three years, Elizabeth, and their seven-month-old son, Nicholas, as he furthers his career training aircraft engine inspectors.

"After graduation, I started with college and after that wasn’t the match for me, I joined the military and became a sergeant in the Air Force managing nuclear missile maintenance in North Dakota," Fritz said. "I think the biggest way LCS shaped me today was through the huge variety of programs, academic and extracurricular, that were available to me throughout my high school years. These programs offered the first opportunities for me to discover what I have a passion for."

Needless to say, Fritz was very active in high school.

"Marching Band made me feel the joy of leadership and training, which motivated me in my military career to become a sergeant and to become a trainer both within and without the military," Fritz said. "Quiz Bowl helped me appreciate the joys of small activities and that sometimes having fun with a group can be as simple as playing a simple game. National Honor Society taught me about my desire for to live a virtuous life and was the first position I had to be chosen by my peers for.

"From marching band to the old East-West rivalry to the high school merger, I was always involved with as many things in LCS as I could be. The classes, the activities, and the friends I made there will always stick with me."

Fritz, who also attended Elba, Seaton, Rolland Warner, Lapeer West and then Lapeer High School for his last two years and first two years of one high school, noted two teachers at LCS that motivated him to be the best version of himself.

"Definitely Ms. Tripp and Mr. Wohlschlegel," Fritz said. "For Ms. Tripp (Elba, first grade), it was her first year teaching when I was in her class and I was a handful to say the least, but her care and focus on good behavior has made her stick in my mind always. Mr. Wohlschlegel (Physics, all of high school) always pushed me forward and started my lifelong interest in physics and science. I still remember his first AP Physics course and all the fun we got to have.

"I was involved in Marching Band, Jazz Band, Quiz Bowl, math and science competitions, Science Olympiad, NHS and Drama Club in the pit band," said Fritz. "Being the drum major for the first two years of the new high school will always have a special place in my heart, from the summer band camps, late nights performing at the football game to the weekend competitions. I loved every opportunity to represent my friends and school with pride."

Now firmly entrenched in his career with a young family, Fritz said there are important components students must recognize to have a successful school career in Lapeer.

"I suppose my advice for current students would be to engage," said Fritz. "All the benefits I have shared from the various activities and groups I was involved with didn’t happen the first day I was a part of them and I didn’t know what I would learn by being a part of them. The cost of growth and learning is to confront the fears and anxieties that so strongly make you want to disengage from the world around you. It is natural to want to quit, want to stay home or enjoy time doing nothing in particular, but truthfully, when you are only a few years after your graduation, the times you will remember most fondly will be all the things you chose to do when you had the chance.

"Don’t miss it."

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