When seniors Faith Nolan and Sky Pfaff returned from a summer church camp, they realized something was missing at Lancer Nation: a community for students to explore their faith. To fill that gap, they created the Lighthouse Christian Club.

Through faith, service and church involvement, the Lighthouse Club has created a space for students to grow both individually and as a community. Founders Nolan and Pfaff work each day to foster a sense of togetherness.

“We hope that this club will continue to thrive and grow, and create a major impact on our community,” Nolan said. 

As Nolan and Pfaff continue shaping the club, they emphasize that the Lighthouse community is open to anyone interested. Meetings are designed to be flexible and welcoming, giving students a voice in what the club becomes.

“In the meetings, we will be doing a multitude of activities,” Pfaff said. “These may include brainstorming for upcoming events, crafts, discussions and volunteering at local churches.”

Both founders have a special personal connection through their faith, which is also what originally sparked their interest in creating this club. They hoped that they would be able to create a club focused on things that are important to them. 

“We had prayed for God to use us to spread the word in a different way,” Pfaff said, “and he answered.”

While faith is at the heart of the Lighthouse Club, Nolan and Pfaff said the “main focus” of the club is helping students find themselves and build connections with one another.

Pfaff felt as though she could create a stronger community if they took matters into their own hands. The Lighthouse Club reached out to other schools’ religious clubs, where they are able to work together in strengthening the bonds of positivity and togetherness. 

“I think we’ve been really successful because there are a lot of limitations that we’ve overcome and gotten past the school,” Pfaff said. “We’ve also done a lot of our first things and are also getting in contact with other Christian clubs, like Pinkerton’s Christian club, Prayerful Generation.”

Those successes did not come easily. The process of creating the Lighthouse Club began near the end of the 2024 school year and quickly ran into issues. Concerns about state law regulations on expressing religion in school led to delays and initial denials.

“We were asked to wait [to propose the club until] the following fall,” Pfaff said, “which we did. Upon our request [to start this club the first time], our idea was quickly shut down due to the lack of knowledge on the topic, fearing it would cross church-state laws.” 

Rather than giving up, Nolan and Pfaff researched state guidelines and students’ rights and learned that student-led religious clubs are allowed in public schools.

“We knew the club didn’t violate church-state laws, but decided not to push it,” Pfaff said. “This fall was different, though. We were determined to make this a reality. After almost getting our idea denied again, we decided to keep pushing, because we knew [pushback] wasn’t right.”

As Nolan and Pfaff fought to bring this club to the community, their efforts eventually reached the Londonderry District Office, where the remaining issues were addressed.

With the approval of the club, House 2 Assistant Principal Ryan O’Connor expressed “excessive gratitude” for students who take initiative to form organizations around causes they care about, while noting that the school must follow guidelines.

“The adviser in a faith-based club can only be an adviser in a non-participatory way, unlike another club or activity per the Equal Access Act,” O’Connor said. “If there are reports that this is not occurring, then the school will investigate it.”

After reviewing the organization and adjusting public perception, goals and ideas, the Lighthouse Club was adopted as an official LHS club for the 2025-2026 academic school year. After overcoming the challenges of getting the club started, Nolan and Pfaff are now focused on building on that success.

“All of the students we’ve been able to reach, meet and teach about God are an amazing success that we hope to continue throughout this year and hopefully years to come,” Nolan said. “We hope that in the future, we’ll be able to pass the responsibility of the club onto someone who is truly passionate about it.”