Lancers! At The Disco! Homecoming 2023 kicked off Monday, September 18 and has been full of spirit days and activities all week long. Check out the weekend events at West Campus:

• Pep Rally (Friday at 1:20 p.m.) Livestream Info
• Varsity Football vs. St. Charles North (Friday at 7:00 p.m.)
• Dance (Saturday 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)

Lake Park's annual homecoming dance will be hosted in the West Campus Gym on Saturday, September 23 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Students must arrive before 7:30 p.m. Please review the Homecoming Website for more details about dance expectations. As a reminder, ALL students attending the homecoming dance this weekend must have a photo ID to enter.

As part of Homecoming Week events, and prior to the varsity soccer game on Tuesday, September 19, Lancer fans celebrated the newly remodeled Ralph W. Krupke Memorial Field at East Campus. The Lake Park community is proud of the significant improvements made this past summer to the facility, which is the home of Boys Soccer, Boys Lacrosse, Boys and Girls Track & Field, and Boys and Girls Cross Country.

In 1999, the East Campus stadium was named for longtime Lake Park Athletic Director, Ralph W. Krupke, who started his teaching career as a Lancer in 1959. Having spent his entire career at Lake Park, he served as the athletic director from 1964 until his retirement in 1992. Always known as “Mr. Lake Park,” Ralph truly bled navy and white and loved Lake Park, its community, students and staff. Ralph was well respected outside of Lake Park and was inducted in 1996 into the Illinois Athletic Director Association Hall of Fame.

Sadly, the Lake Park community and the Krupke family lost Ralph in 2003, but his legacy continues today. This week’s dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony included Ralph’s children, Lancers for Life Jim Krupke (‘80) and Heather Krupke Dunlap (‘79); Board of Education President Beata Swacha and Board Member Joe Mangold; administrative leadership; coaches; staff; and student-athletes.

Wednesday, October 11 is a required attendance day for all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Using Chromebooks, freshmen will take the PSAT 9 and sophomores will take the PSAT/NMSQT exam at East Campus. Concurrently, the PSAT/NMSQT exam will be administered digitally for juniors at West Campus. Students must be present in order to receive a score and can prepare by reviewing the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide in advance.

This exam is a practice test in preparation for the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test); it’s also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Junior students who receive excellent scores on this test have the opportunity to earn prestigious status as National Merit Scholars and qualify for scholarships; however, sophomores are not yet eligible. 

For English Learners (EL) and students with testing accommodations through an IEP or 504 plan, additional information will be sent to students closer to the test date.

Senior students in the Class of 2024 will not attend classes; however, they are strongly encouraged to use that time for postsecondary planning and exploration.

Transportation:

Morning buses will follow their normal route times and return students home after the completion of testing. The final schedule will be shared with students and families closer to the testing date.

• Arrive for “Wake the Brain!” activities from 6:52-7:12 a.m. (West) | No zero-period classes
• Arrive for “Wake the Brain!” activities from 7:15-7:45 a.m. (East)
• East Campus students who start their daily schedule at West Campus should report directly to their assigned testing room at East Campus on testing day.
• Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) students will not attend TCD classes on testing day.

Important Reminders:

• Charge Chromebooks fully the night before testing 
• Bring a current photo ID

The Lake Park Theatre Department kicks off their 2023-2024 season with the children’s play, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the East Campus Dice Auditorium. The event is open to the community and admission is free.

Adapted by Jack Neary, the plot involves the king (senior Rowan Panganiban) of an ancient land in Persia who commands Scheherazade (senior Aashna Bhatt) to mesmerize him with a story. If she fails in her attempt, she faces banishment! With this weighty task before her, Scheherazade transforms each of the townspeople into actors who end up taking on roles as characters in her imaginative tale. She tells the story of Aladdin (senior Elias O’Neill), a young hero who discovers a magical lamp which leads him into a wild, funny, and exciting coming-of-age adventure. 

The cast of 14 students and crew of approximately 20 more students will prepare for the evening show with four additional performances for area sender schools on September 26 and 27.

Lake Park's Film Appreciation Society is offering its Fall presentation on Wednesday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the West Campus auditorium. The event is open to the community and admission is free.

The featured film is the 1934 romantic comedy, It Happened One Night, directed by Frank Capra. Hollywood superstars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert appear for the first time on screen together, and the witty dialogue flows! The run time of the film is 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Community film buffs are invited to attend the cinematic presentation and stay for an in-depth panel discussion regarding the background and history of the featured film. Patrons will also be able to cast their votes for the film selections of future Lake Park Film Appreciation Society presentations. 

The Lake Park Film Appreciation Society aims to engage the community in the presentation, exploration, interpretation, and critical discussion of classic cinema.

Thanks to the participation of local employers, Lake Park High School West Campus will host a student job fair on Friday, October 6 during all lunch periods (4th-7th).

Companies seeking student candidates for part-time positions will be attending the fair, which will be set-up outside the cafeteria. Students are invited to visit with representatives during their lunch period and are encouraged (but not required) to bring a resume.

For your reference, a current list of companies anticipated to attend include: Bloomingdale and Itasca Park Districts, Captive Resources, Len's Ace Hardware, LK Soccer, McDonald's, Medinah Country Club, Official Finders, and Special Recreation Associations: NEDSRA, NWSRA, and WDSRA.

Mark your calendar: Lake Park will host additional student job fairs during second semester:

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 (West Campus) and Wednesday, April 3, 2024 (East Campus)