LP Link: March 8, 2024

The LP Link is published bi-weekly during the school year to highlight the latest districtwide news and events at Lake Park High School. Contact Sherri Anderson, Director of Communications, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for content.

Spotlight: Student Involvement Making an Impact

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 another component of The Lancer Way - involvement - and how students are making connections and a positive impact in the community.

First semester initiatives included the powder puff game during Homecoming Week that raised over $6,000 for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, ‘Socktober’ that collected necessities for stockings for Holiday Sharing recipients, and a Giving Tree to benefit families in Bloomingdale Township during the holiday season. Current initiatives include the Youth Advocate for Change coat drive for the Kenneth Young Center as well as the Future Medical Professional Smile Drive collecting toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss for the Bloomingdale Food Pantry. The following snapshots of other school-sponsored events demonstrate additional ways that Lancers are generously giving back to the greater school community.

St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser

Lake Park High School Student Council and the Roselle Police Department are partnering together to host a unique event on Wednesday, March 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the West Campus gymnasium. Open to students, families, and members of the community, the "Kicking Cancer" Kick Ball Tournament and Head Shaving Event will raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. To date, over 20 staff members and students have generously volunteered to participate as a shavee! With a fundraising goal of $10,000, the School Resource Officers (SROs), Student Council members, and staff in the Student Services Team have been seeking community donations for raffle prizes. Tickets can be purchased during lunch periods leading up to this event. An entry fee of $5.00 benefits the St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants. Each shaved head, every dollar donated, creates a ripple effect of progress for kids with cancer.

Lancer HEROES Charity Basketball

Last month, the Lancer community united to host the 2nd Annual Lake Park HEROES vs. Lake Park Basketball Charity Basketball Game to benefit Special Olympics. From the boys and girls basketball programs, co-ed cheer squad, and HEROES staff to classroom aides and student buddies, so many individuals contributed to make this night a success. The stands were packed and Lancer fans donned red to support Special Olympics. The money raised from t-shirt sales and donations at the door tallied $3100! Thanks to current Lake Park volleyball, basketball, and softball parent and Lancer for Life Stephanie (Greenberger) Kiefer for providing this photo album. Readers can also view the entire game from the HUDL Camera stream of the event using this link.

Girl Up Clothing Drive and Thrift Sale

Still in its early stages at Lake Park, Girl Up is a global movement of empowered young women leaders who defend gender equality. Through leadership development training, Girl Up gives girls the resources and platform to start a movement for social change. This past fall, the Lake Park chapter creatively organized a clothing drive requesting students and staff to donate clothing (men’s, women’s and children) to be resold at a Girl Up Thrift Sale. A total of over 1000 items were collected and sold during lunch periods at the pop-up Thrift Sale. Following several weeks of sales, English Learner students new to the country and Lake Park had the opportunity to shop for free winter items. Any items remaining were donated to Wings, while items not of a high enough quality due to holes/stains/etc. were responsibly recycled at eWorks in Elk Grove.

Together Helping Others (ToHo)

For an impressive 22 years, the student-led Together Helping Others fundraising efforts have collected donations, designed t-shirts and sweatshirts, and hosted bake sales to financially support Lake Park students and families in need. In December 2017, WGN featured English teacher and club sponsor Darcie Murray as Teacher of the Month for her work inspiring students and staff to give back. The annual drive typically occurs each November with funds benefitting Lancer families throughout the entire year. Do you know a family who could benefit from ToHo resources? Or would you like to make a donation? Visit the Together Helping Others website to view the year-round needs for this long-standing organization.

Student involvement means so much more than participating in traditional clubs, activities, and athletics. By purchasing t-shirts, contributing to bake sales, or simply showing up at fundraisers like those described above, our students continue to demonstrate characteristics of The Lancer Way!

Lancer Period Bell Schedule

Preview the final lessons for this school year.

While maintaining the same start and end times for each campus, Lake Park designed a Lancer Period Bell Schedule to allocate 38 minutes for whole-school programming that falls outside the traditional curriculum. The Lancer Period is scheduled approximately once per month on Thursdays. All students and staff are assigned to a designated classroom for the Lancer Period to ensure whole-school participation in each activity.

Lancer Skills - Thoughtful Communication 2.0 | March

During this month’s Lancer Period on Thursday, March 14, teachers will deliver a lesson that builds upon what it means to be a thoughtful communicator. This topic represents one of the core competencies of Lake Park's Portrait of a Graduate that was discussed with students during the November 2023 and January 2024 Lancer Periods. Students will focus on the value of listening to others as they explore the topics of giving and receiving feedback, active listening, and considering diverse opinions.

Financial Literacy - PaCE Framework | April

During next month’s Lancer Period, on Thursday, April 11, students in grades 9-11 will learn about Financial Literacy. The lesson will cover key terms and topics and students will complete the “Game of Life” activity in SchooLinks to see how their post-seconday plans may affect future income and lifestyle. Seniors will review essential end-of-year information and tasks in the “Graduation with Class” lesson.

Night at the Theatre

Support Lake Park theatre before IHSA Drama Sectional competition begins.

Please join the Lake Park Theatre Department for an exciting Night at the Theatre on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. at East Campus. The Lake Park IHSA Drama Teams will present Little Shop of Horrors for Group Interpretation and The Tin Woman for Contest Play. The first performance begins in room 226, and admission is free!

Lake Park’s 2024 IHSA Contest Drama The Tin Woman by Sean Grennan follows the story of Joy (junior, Frankie Molfese), a woman in her mid-30s who recently received a heart transplant. However, instead of relishing her new life, Joy enters a downward spiral, unsure whether she truly deserves a second chance. Meanwhile, Alice (senior, Isabella Walloch) and Hank (junior, Anthony Johnson) mourn the loss of their son, Jack (junior, George Moore), whose heart was used to save Joy. When Joy decides to meet Jack’s family to find closure, their grief transforms as they finally have to accept his death. Based on a true story, The Tin Woman is a complex web of laughter and grief used to explore loss, family, and what it means to be given new life.

Lake Park's Film Appreciation Society

Free screening of the science-fiction thriller The Thing From Another World.

Lake Park High School's Film Appreciation Society announces its next screening on Wednesday, March 20 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 Howard Hawks' 1951 science fiction horror production, The Thing from Another World, directed by Christian Nyby. The film is based on John W. Campbell's 1938 novella Who Goes There? What they encounter will leave the audience frozen in fear. Psychological terror ramps up as a military unit ventures out to investigate a mysterious crash site near an arctic research station. Viewers of season 4 of True Detective may detect an eerily similar atmosphere. Hollywood has revisited this film multiple times: as The Thing in 1982, a well-regarded remake directed by John Carpenter, and again as The Thing, a quasi-prequel released in 2011 and directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. The run time of the film is 1 hour, 27 minutes.

Community buffs are invited to attend the cinematic presentation and stay for an in-depth panel discussion. The Film Appreciation Society aims to engage the community in the presentation, exploration, interpretation, and critical discussion of classic cinema.

#LancerStories

Lancer staff member receives recognition.

Congratulations to Sidney Hsu who was named one of DuPage County’s “CTE Instructors of the Year” at a ceremony on Thursday, February 29 at the Technology Center of DuPage.

Sidney was nominated because he demonstrates innovation, passion and advocacy for Career and Technical Education. He was recognized for his contributions to the Lake Park Business Department in Computer Science including the development and rollout of A+ Certification, which consists of two Dual Credit courses with COD (College of DuPage). Sidney has been an AP Computer Science grader/reader for years and will soon be teaching other AP Computer Science teachers how to teach the course.

Business Curriculum Leader Kevin Jones commented on Sidney who has been a Lancer since 2012, "He's a valued member of a greater Chicagoland professional network of computer science teachers that meet regularly to discuss best practices, and he's been an anchor to our Computer Science courses since the day he walked on campus. He's also served as a mentor to all of our other computer technology teachers.”

Grade Point Average Scale to Change

Board of Education approves new GPA scale for 2024-2025 school year.

During the Monday, February 26 Board of Education meeting, Lake Park's Board members unanimously approved the proposal that was presented during the Monday, January 22 meeting to transition the District's GPA reporting system from the existing 5.0 scale to the more commonly used 4.0 scale.

The change to the GPA scale follows a comprehensive investigation that gathered input from more than 50 post-secondary colleges and universities, DuKane Conference and neighboring high schools, and scholarship programs. The 4.0 GPA scale will be implemented for all current Lancers during the 2024-2025 school year. This means that there will be no iimpact on this year’s graduating Class of 2024. Furthermore, these changes will not affect alumni transcripts; historic data will remain on the 5.0 scale. View information about the benefits and impact of the new scale for next school year.

Lake Park Educational Foundation Topgolf Event

Please plan on joining the Lake Park Educational Foundation on Thursday, March 14, for a fun evening that includes unlimited golf, buffet dinner and soft drinks. Registration closes on March 11. The event will take place at the Topgolf in Schaumburg.

Invite your friends and family to join you in any size group or you can reserve a private bay for up to 6 players. All golf bays are climate-controlled and include golf clubs and HDTVs. Topgolf offers a wide selection of games, perfect for all skill levels, which utilize micro-chipped golf balls and Toptracer technology to keep track of every shot!

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are now available! Please view the Golf Classic website for more information, reservations, and sponsorships. This is a family-friendly event, anyone under the age of 21 must be in a bay with a parent or guardian.

Community Connection

Check out these free community resources available to all Lancer Families.

Through a continued partnership with Glenbard High School District 87,

Lake Park families are invited and welcome to attend the GPS Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families. Programs are free, virtual, and open to the public; no registration is required.

Wednesday, March 13, 7:00 p.m.

Dr. Ty Tashiro

The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward, and Why That’s Awesome: Social Skill Building

Tuesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m.

Dr. Emily Kline, Ph.D.

The School of Hard Talks: Motivational Interviewing for Better Conversations and Stronger Relationships

The BHC (Behavioral Health Collaborative) is a cross-sector partnership of DuPage County leaders that work together to implement data-driven solutions that improve access to behavioral health services and enhance the quality of care for DuPage County’s residents.

The BHC also works to align resources and funding and raise community awareness of the warning signs and symptoms associated with mental illness. View a helpful informational flyer from BHC that outlines crisis resources for youth and parents. This effort is helping to strengthen the youth behavioral health services system within DuPage County.