Dear Rachael,
There are smiles all around at LFA as students prepare for spring break, starting this weekend! We’ve had a busy month, filled with plenty of opportunities for alumni-student engagement. Thank you to the many alumni who returned to campus to talk to students at the networking night and in the journalism and entrepreneurship classes. And we are grateful to our Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) members who returned to campus on March 8-9 for their annual meeting.
Read more below about upcoming events at LFA, from our Gala on April 27 to choir and orchestra concerts in April and events with two well-known authors.
Hope to see you on campus soon!
Ruth Keyso
Senior Director of Alumni Engagement & Philanthropy
847-615-3268 (office)
847-224-6072 (cell)
rkeyso@lfanet.org
www.lfanet.org/give
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GALA 2024: The art of the imaginable
Saturday, April 27
6 p.m. – Lake Forest Academy
Our BIG night of the year is fast approaching. Join us for a spectacular evening with faculty and friends…a gala that immerses you in the art world, an event filled with surprises…
This ARTrageous evening will include a cocktail reception, Gala program, student entertainment, avant-garde dinner, and a paddle raise to benefit the Fine and Performing Arts Department at LFA.
See all details on the LFA website.
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Bird Artist Series
The Bird Artist Series will host two community events in early April.
Join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 for a discussion with author Julie Otsuka. Otsuka is the award-winning author of the novels When the Emperor Was Divine and The Buddha in the Attic. Her newest novel is The Swimmers.
On Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m. Jonathan Eig will visit campus. Eig is the author of six adult books and four children’s books, and those books have been translated into nearly 20 languages. His most recent work is King: A Life.
These events are free and open to the public and will be held in The Cressey Center for the Arts on the LFA campus. Read more online.
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Concerts on Campus
Join us on campus for one of the following student concerts this spring. All performances are free and open to the public:
Orchestra Concert: April 17
VOX Concert: April 24
Solo Concert: May 16
Choir and Studio Fest: May 21
All events take place at 7 p.m. in The Cressey Center for the Arts (or Reid Hall) on the LFA campus.
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Girl Powered!
Students in LFA’s Women of Color Empowered club hosted a panel discussion with four alumnae on Tues., Feb. 27. This was an opportunity for members of the faculty and student community to come together to celebrate, amplify, and honor the contributions of women of color. Thank you to Felicia Edwards Houston ’90, Alisha Bhutani Patel ’96, Willow Walker ’03, and Liz Peinado ’08, for engaging with our students and serving as role models for them. Thank you for sharing your stories of unity, perseverance, community, and support. Your personal anecdotes and insights on life as women of color were motivating to our young people. Thank you.
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seated, l to r: Willow Walker ’03, Felicia Edwards Houston ’90, Liz Peinado ’08, Alisha Bhutani Patel ’96; standing, l to r: Lily Botero ’25, Gabi Stewart ’24, Xitlali Ocote-Arellano ’25, and Assistant Head of School and Academic Dean Nancy Nassr P’24, ’25 | |
Alumni Networking Night Turns 10
LFA was thrilled to celebrate its 10th annual Josh Rothstein Young Alumni-Student Networking Night with 10 extraordinary alumni representatives on the evening of Feb. 29 in Reid Hall. Thank you, alumni, for joining our students to talk about college and careers and to share advice about your journey post LFA. More than 80 students in grades 9 through 12 attended this popular annual event. And we were honored to be joined by Nancy and Steven Rothstein, parents of Josh '05, for whom this event is named. Thank you, alumni representatives!
below, front, l to r: Piper Benjamin Schlafly ’14, Allie Cedergren ’13, James Padley ’13, Rebecca Raudabaugh ’09, Peter Corsiglia ’17; back row, l to r: Ford Johnstone ’16, Malcolm Chaka ’15, Mbasa Mayikana ’14, Head of School Chris Tennyson P’27, Nate Chase ’14, Shaopeng Frank Gu ’21
View event photos.
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Welcome Home, AAB
Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) members returned to campus (or Zoomed in) for the annual meeting on March 8-9. We enjoyed conversation with members of the Board of Trustees about strategic planning; took a tour of the athletic center construction site; and learned about the latest developments in the arts and plans for Gala 2024. The group also enjoyed a Saturday-morning discussion session with Head of School Chris Tennyson P’27 about the state of the school. Some members arrived early to participate in classes at LFA and to take a tour with a Caxy Key. Thank you to our alumni ambassadors for their commitment to LFA! And thank you to Chris Tennyson, Trustees Gloria Harper P’93, Katie Frekko P’21, ’24, ’27, Margeaux McReynolds ’02, Charlie Cooper ’96, P’28, Todd Altounian ’86; faculty members Darrin Madeley P’11, ’14 and Jason Koenig P’26; and construction manager Alan Woodyard for engaging with the group this weekend. Read more about the AAB on the LFA website.
below, l to r: Jaime Hermosillo ’07, Athletic Director Darrin Madeley P’11, ’14, Construction Manager Alan Woodyard, Elizabeth Alicea ’98, Jeff Konker ’66, Allison Stankowicz ’12, Leland Brewster ’07, Charlie Cooper ’96, P’28, Trustee Todd Altounian ’86, Peter Corsiglia ’17, Mark Karstrom ’80, P’18, Jordan Wolff ’15, Cecily Barnett Meers ’69, P’97,’09, Artie Preiss ’04, and Josh Brass ’10.
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Alumna Artist Featured in Evanston
Congratulations to Ferry Hall alumna Barb Curtis ’70, whose paintings were recently showcased at the Evanston Art Center. Her exhibition, Swimmers, is on display in Evanston through March 31. An opening reception was held on Feb. 25, featuring remarks from Barb about her work, her education in the arts, and her sources of inspiration. Congratulations, Barb!
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Alumni in the Classroom
Several alumni entrepreneurs visited the classroom recently to talk with students in our entrepreneurship class about the rewards and challenges of building a business: Adam Wisco ’17 and Johnna Gross ’03 (on zoom), Henry Cowie ’08, and Cecilia Lanyon ’06. In addition, sports journalist Dick Quagliano ’75 visited the journalism classes to talk about his longtime career in writing, which started at LFA. Thank you, alumni!
pictured below: Matt Vaughn and Henry Cowie ’08, CFO of Swag Golf
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CEO Johnna Gross (J. Lynn) '03 zooms in from Seattle on March 1 to talk about creativity and persistence in starting her business, Copperpeace. | | |
Adam Wisco ’17 spoke with students on Feb. 16 via Zoom from Croatia, where he is playing hockey professionally. In college, Wisco started the company Biggabed. | | |
Sports journalist and LFA alumnus from the Class of 1975, Dick Quagliano, spoke to students in our journalism classes on Feb. 29 about his work as a local sports reporter. Dick was recently honored in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame | |
Local entrepreneur Cecilia Lanyon ’06 speaks with students in the entrepreneurship class about establishing her businesses, The Gallery and The Peanut Gallery. | |
College Dinner Series
Thank you to faculty members Marianela Gonzalez, Matt Vaughn, and Paul Makovec, who hosted college dinner series events at Washington University St. Louis and Indiana University on Feb. 29 and March 1, respectively. We are so proud of our college Caxys and the great work they are doing! Thanks for staying in touch with us at Dear Old LFA.
caption for photo above: Caxys gather in St. Louis on Feb. 29: clockwise from left: Alejandro Quiroz ’23, Mariana Quiroz ’22, LFA Spanish teacher Marianela Gonzalez, Ben Kolontyrskiy ’22, Bradley Ma ’23, Brooke Farrell ’22, former LFA science teacher Debbie Witmer, Sophie Waimon ’20, Gigi Taillon ’21
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LFA alumni at Indiana University get together in Bloomington on March 1: clockwise from left: JJ Alexos ’23, Emily Meyer ’14 (MBA student), Alexandra Buric ’22 , LFA math department chair Paul Makovec, and LFA math and social sciences teacher Matt Vaughn P’27 | | |
Caxys join Vaughn and Makovec in Bloomington for coffee on March 2: clockwise from left: Maria Johnson ’21, Matt Vaughn P’27, Bella Martinez ’21, Paul Makovec, and Joanne Kang ’21 | | |
Do You Match?
If your employer matches donations, you can double or triple the impact of your gift!
Support LFA students today! Visit give.lfanet.org and use the search field in the online giving form to find out if you or your spouse’s company has a matching gift program.
Giveaway opportunity! The first 10 people to submit a corporate matching request with their Academy Fund gift will receive a pair of Caxy spirit socks.
To participate in the sock giveaway:
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Summer Academy Registration Now Open
Registration for Summer Academy 2024 is live. Following a successful launch of the very first Summer Academy in 2023, the program will once again benefit high school students as well as middle school students. Read more on the LFA website.
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Athletic Center Updates
Construction on the Athletic Center Expansion (ACE) is moving along smoothly. Read updates and view video on our YouTube page. Fundraising continues on this effort, the largest capital project in LFA’s history. If you’re interested in learning more and supporting this project, please contact a member of the Advancement team.
For more news about the sports teams on campus, visit the LFA Athletics website.
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Contact Info Updates
If you have recently moved, changed jobs or have a new email address or cell number, please let us know so that we can update our database. Send your data to updates@lfanet.org
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Link In with Us
Alumni, stay connected with us through the LFA Alumni LinkedIn page.
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