Junior Drake Benner did not realize he was going to attend La Salle until his eighth grade year.
Benner said that Coach Dustin Janz made an impression on him at Open House while talking about the football program. “It just made me excited to come here and be a part of that community,” he said.
Open House made him realize that La Salle would be a better fit than Grover Cleveland High School, the public school he would be attending if not for La Salle, because of the community he sensed during Open House. He also said that his parents believed La Salle was the right spot for Benner because of its focus on academics.
“In La Salle, it’s clear that people care about their education and are really involved in their own classroom and education,” he said.
At La Salle, Benner plays as a cornerback for the varsity football team.
He believes that the culture and morale of the team will improve as the season progresses and as they get to know each other.
Benner’s favorite subject is currently AP Chemistry because he enjoys the flipped classroom aspect, where he and his peers learn outside of class, so that they can ask questions about their homework the next time they see each other.
His favorite teacher is science teacher Mr. Matthew Owen, who is his AP Chemistry teacher. Benner described him as “not only helping with questions, but he’s just really nice in general.”
Benner prefers small classes because he is able to learn more in close-knit communities. “It gives you more opportunity to learn and communicate with those people around you and to form connections with them,” he said.
In his free time, Benner enjoys playing board games with family and climbing with his friends.
Recently, Benner has also found an interest in Christopher Nolan’s movies because he said that he “enjoys movies that you have to really think about instead of just watching it for fun.” Benner does this to find the deeper meaning within a movie he appreciates.
For Benner, his favorite food is a toss-up most of the time because he enjoys so many different types of food.
Currently, he enjoys beef dumplings. At home, Benner and his family make a wide variety of meals with his favorite type being Indian and Thai food.
“It’s a sort of special tradition, because for my mom’s birthday, we usually get [Indian takeout],” Benner said. “So it sort of reminds me of family.”
For his dad’s birthday, he and his family often make angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries from their garden.
In the future, Benner hopes to make it into a college in the Northwest, yet not stay too close to home. “I haven’t been thinking too much of college, mostly because I’m kind of scared of it, it seems so far away, but yet so close,” Benner said.
Correction: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Mr. Owen as Science Department Chair.
