Each month, the LP Link will spotlight an area of District focus with the goal of sharing valuable information and resources with our school community. This month highlights the importance of student attendance on learning and how Lake Park High School regularly communicates absences and tardies to Lancer families. 

Recently, you may have heard the term “chronic absenteeism” circulating in the news. This topic has become a national story because of the important role that attendance plays in student success. Like most schools today, this is an area of focus for Lake Park especially as attendance numbers continue to dip in recent years. Daily, members of the Student Services Team (SST) and staff work to create a positive school culture and address student attendance to minimize the impact missed time has on student learning.

Chronic absenteeism occurs when a student is absent for 10% or more of school days, including excused and unexcused absences, and out-of-school suspensions. Only missing as few as two days a month on average flags a student as chronically absent. Even missing as few as five days per semester can make a big difference in student performance and outcomes.

Student attendance is one of many areas that is a joint, collaborative effort between schools and families. While it is unrealistic for all students to attend every period, every day, the District prioritizes actively working to minimize the number of periods students miss. Daily attendance is important to ensure students are engaged in classroom activities and have the opportunity to make valuable connections with staff and other students. Similarly, timely arrival to class is an important part of the learning process and Lake Park's attendance and behavioral expectations. Given the nature of this collaborative effort between schools and families, the District has two systems that provide timely communication with families about attendance-related matters.

Tardy Notification

A student is considered tardy if he or she is not in his or her assigned classroom/lab and/or workstation when the bell rings to start the period. The tardy notification system auto-generates a message to students via their Lake Park email accounts following the first tardy to a class. Email communication to parents/guardians begins following the student’s second tardy to an individual class and continues with each subsequent tardy during a given semester. The notification indicates the date, period, class, teacher and teacher email address. Families have access to their child’s attendance and tardiness records via Home Access Center at any time.

The District understands the important role attendance plays in students’ academic success and encourages Lancer families to continue partnering with Lake Park by ensuring regular attendance and discussing the value of being present in school. Together we can help each student maximize their experience at Lake Park and perform at their very best.

State Spirit March and Sendoff

IHSA State celebration honors Girls Tennis.

Congratulations to Lancer Girls Tennis who celebrated the first State spirit march and sendoff of the school year on Tuesday, October 17. State Qualifying Lancers competing in the IHSA State Tournament from October 19-21 include two-time state qualifiers Jackie Cozzi (12) and Tanvi Murkonda (12) and first-time qualifiers Neha Murkonda (11) and Jessica Dudas (11). 

In a rare occurrence, Lake Park's two doubles teams squared off against each other in the third place medal match at the Schaumburg Sectional after having already qualified for state by advancing to the semifinals.

The girls tennis program is led by Head Coach Christian Pawlak and Assistant Coaches Katie Montgomery and Maggie VanGrondelle.

Congratulations to Lake Park students who have earned academic recognition through the 69th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Students and their families will be recognized during the regular Board of Education meeting on Monday, October 23.

Semifinalists: Lake Park High School seniors Aashna Bhatt and Akul Sharma have been selected as a Semifinalist in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Competition. Selected based on test scores of the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and represents less than one percent of the U.S. high school seniors. To become semifinalists, the students must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed by their school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance. They must also submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes a self-descriptive essay and information about their participation and leadership in school and community activities. The approximately 16,000 semifinalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,500 Merit Scholarship awards, worth $30 million.

Commended Students: Nine Lake Park High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. The Commended Students are: Priyanka Achanta, Jacob Adcock, Daniel Antony, Valerie Arway, Kapil Borkar, Luka Bruinsma, Jaibilin Jain, Kailen Patel, and Nathan Yi. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2024 competition for Merit Scholarship Awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.6 million juniors who entered the 2024 competition.

College Board National Recognition: Seven Lake Park High School seniors have been selected for the 2024 National Hispanic Recognition Program Award. The selected students are: Isabella Benza, Tannya Longoria, Luis Navarrete, Aileen Aguilar Ramirez, Melanie Solorio, Henry Thiele, and Zachary Worwa. One Lake Park High School senior, Kristian Stewart, has been selected for the 2024 National Indigenous Recognition Program Award. The College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) identifies academically outstanding African American, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, or students who attend school in a rural area or small town.

The Lake Park Theatre Department presents "Clue on Stage, High School Edition" based on the Paramount Pictures motion picture, based on the Hasbro board game Clue and adapted from the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Eric Price and Sandy Rustin. Directed by English/Drama teacher, Sara Keith, Clue on Stage is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects.

Led by Wadsworth – the butler (junior, Anthony Johnson) and the maid Yvette (senior, Kelly Hanssen), Miss Scarlett (senior, Mia Mannella), Professor Plum (sophomore, Jason Sullivan), Mrs. White (junior, Meya Wiggins), Mr. Green (junior, George Moore), Mrs. Peacock (sophomore, Daisy Rimer) and Colonel Mustard (sophomore, Tyler Graham) race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT! The cast also features junior Dina Tuz, sophomores Javarius Lane and Sydney Ohlson, and freshman Lorelei Boos.

Tickets, which may be purchased at the door, are free to seniors and LP students, $3 for non-LP students and $5 for adults. Performances run tonight, Friday, October 20; and Saturday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the East Campus Dice Auditorium.

Guests over 12 years old are invited to "Eras" on Friday, October 27 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the East Campus Dice Auditorium when the Lake Park Thespians present their annual haunted house. The production is developed, directed, produced, written, and cast completely by Lancer students. Because this event serves as a fundraiser for the Thespian Troupe #3516, admission is $3.00 per ticket or $5.00 per person with unlimited opportunities to walk through. Prepare for a frightfully good time!

Lake Park's Black Student Union (BSU) is excited to host "The Not Too Scary Halloween Party" community event on Monday, October 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the East Campus Student Cafeteria.

Bring the whole family, remember to wear your Halloween costume, and enjoy various activities and games, a photo booth, temporary tattoos, indoor trick-or-treating, and other Halloween fun! This event is geared towards kids 10 and younger; must be accompanied by an adult.