SHARE:  
NOVEMBER 2021
Greetings!

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we extend our appreciation to all of you for your support of LFA during the past year. Whether you attended one of our virtual or in-person events, contributed to the annual fund or Inspire & Invest Initiative, sent in a class note or hopped on a phone or zoom call with a member of our office, we are grateful for your time and commitment to LFA.

We look forward to these final weeks of the fall semester and the fun seasonal celebrations we'll enjoy with the students. Take care, stay well, and I look forward to talking to you in December.


Ruth Keyso
Director of Alumni Engagement
847.615.3268 (office)
847.224.6072 (cell)
Announcing the $200K Caxy Legacy Challenge
LFA is proud to announce the Caxy Legacy Challenge (CLC) as part of the $20 million Inspire & Invest Initiative. The CLC allows you to see an immediate LFA impact by unlocking funds from a challenge pool when you designate the Academy a beneficiary of your will, living trust or charitable trust.

Fueled by a Ferry Hall alumna and a Lake Forest Academy alumnus, this exciting opportunity empowers LFA alumni, parents, alumni parents, grandparents, and friends of the school to further strengthen the school's future. To learn more and how you can be a part of this initiative, visit the CLC webpage on the LFA website.
Alumni & Friends Reception in Denver
Join us on Wed., Dec. 8, from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. for our Denver Area Alumni/ae & Friends Reception at the Cooper Lounge at Crawford Hotel, Union Station, Denver, Colorado.

Thank you to our host committee members listed below.

Margaux Boles '14
Tim Damour '58
Will Hunter '10
Life Trustee Tom Kelley '65
Molly Nitka '05
Michael Pollak '71
Barb Hediger von der Heydt '66
Phil von der Heydt '65

Free registration here.

Questions or to register: rjosephsen@lfanet.org
Head of School Transition
By now, you have heard the news that Head of School José M. De Jesús P'22 will be leaving LFA at the end of the school year. He will move to NYC to serve as Head of School at The Dalton School. We thank José for his leadership through the pandemic and look forward to his status as an alumni parent for years to come.

At this time, the Board of Trustees has asked Associate Head of School and Dean of Students Chris Tennyson to assume some of the Head of School responsibilities. José M. De Jesús P’22 will remain Head of School until his departure this summer, but having Chris, a longtime LFA community member, assume some of the Head of School responsibilities will help with the continued implementation of the Academy’s strategic priorities.

Read the announcement that Chair of the LFA Board of Trustees John Marlatt '65 sent to our community on Nov. 18.

And, in case you did not see John's announcement from Nov. 8, here is the letter sent to our community announcing José's departure. John is an ex-officio member of the Head of School Transition Committee, a first-rate and diverse subset of our Board of Trustees. This group includes alumni Jessica Douglas '96 (Chair of the Committee; Jessica is a lawyer in downstate Illinois; vice chair of the LFA Board of Trustees); Charlie Cooper '96 (works at JP Morgan and is chair of the Academy's Endowment Committee); and Jim Cowart '69 (private equity professional; the Student Center at LFA bears his name); along with Gloria Harper P'93 (former administrator and science teacher at LFA; Gloria was recently honored as an LFA Woman of Distinction at Alumni Weekend & Reunion); LFA parents Dr. Ahmed Farag P'22, '24 (radiologist and former Board Chair at LF Country Day School), and Karen Fink P'22, 23 (marketing professional and entrepreneur). The committee is already meeting and will share details of their search in the coming months.

Above is the video message that José sent to community members. Simply click on the image to hear José's remarks.
English Department Panel Discussion
LFA welcomed three young alumni to campus on Nov. 3 to speak about their experience as students at LFA and what elements of the English curriculum in particular benefitted them as college students. The trio spoke with English Department faculty as part of their Department Day agenda.

Thank you to Angela Zhou '18 and Elizabeth Christoph '18, both seniors at Northwestern University, and Peter Corsiglia '17, a recent graduate of the University of Richmond who currently works for Motorola, for being part of this panel discussion. We are so proud of you and your academic and professional accomplishments.

caption for photo above: Peter Corsiglia '17, Angela Zhou '18, and Elizabeth Christoph '18
NYC Event Brings Alumni & Friends Together
The NYC/Tri-state Alumni/ae & Friends gathering took place on Monday, Nov. 15 at the headquarters of McCann advertising agency, hosted by Sean Bryan '89. Thank you to all who joined LFA for this popular annual gathering. Special thanks to Sean Bryan, who shared some of his creative work at McCann, and to our Host Committee members. View event photos here.

(above) McCann COO Sean Bryan '89 speaks with guests at the McCann headquarters in NYC.

(below, top): Sean Bryan speaks with Alex Bournakis '15 and Carter Snyder '14

(below, bottom): 2021 LFA Woman of Distinction recipient Elizabeth Plamondon Cutler '85 receives her framed citation from Head of School Jose De Jesus P'22 during a brunch gathering in NYC on Nov. 14, 2021.
College Dinner Series Takes Off
We were thrilled to resume the popular College Dinner Series events in October. They will continue in the second semester. Our Caxys are doing amazing work at colleges around the country. We are so proud of them!

captions for photos below, top to bottom

University of Chicago (clockwise from bottom left): Sebastian Delgado ‘21, Natasha Sokhi ‘21, Ailey Fang ’18, Director of Alumni Engagement Ruth Keyso, David Krivoshik ‘18, Phil Preiss ‘06, Graham Harwood ‘11, Assistant Dean of Advancement Christine Ryder P'15, '17, Chloe Zhong ‘20, Allie Cedergren ‘13, Science teacher Dr. Kerry Cedergren P'13, '17, 24, and Nick Seltzer ‘06

Northwestern University (clockwise from left): Elizabeth Campisi '20, Mandarin Chinese instructor Ivy Jiang P'16, '18, Frank Gu '21, Lizzie Dozois '21, Angela Zhou '18, Ayaan Ahmed '18, Mia Castle '20, Tony Luo '19, Senior Associate Dean of Admission Adam Gerber P'21, '24, Spanish instructor Val Sorenson, and Josh Mayberry '21

University of Wisconsin-Madison (l to r): Pliny Smith '18, Trang Pham '21, Tracy Lu '13, and Kallan Benjamin '10

Washington University St. Louis: (l to r): Dr. Liza Dunn Halcomb '85, Assistant Dean of Advancement Garry Sloan P'19, '21, Rachel Johns '21, Gigi Taillon '21, Sophie Waimon '20

University of Missouri: Assistant Dean of Advancement Garry Sloan P'19, '21 with Garrison Sloan '21 and Joe Carroll '18
Back in Person: Young Alumni Lunch!
LFA alumni in the classes of 2017-2021, join us on campus for the popular YA Lunch on Wed., Jan. 5, 2022! See your teachers and former classmates and enjoy a fantastic lunch in the Garden Room of Reid Hall. Free registration HERE. We can't wait to see you!

Registrations are already rolling in! Thanks, everyone.
LFA Partnering with PCI on Alumni Directory
LFA is partnering with a company called Publishing Concepts (PCI) to gather alumni contact information for a printed alumni directory. You will receive a postcard and email from PCI about this project. Thank you in advance for helping us collect the most accurate and up-to-date data about our alumni, which we can use in maintaining connections with all of you, planning for events, and assisting alumni with career networking. We appreciate your help and participation. (Please note that you are not obligated to purchase the print or electronic alumni directory, of course, but we hope you'll update your info with PCI as this will make the directory a more useful tool for everyone in our community.) Thank you, everyone!
It's Academy Fund Season
Last year, donors to LFA gifted more than $700,000 in the months of November and December, ensuring that students could have compelling experiences in class, on the field, and on stage. This was accomplished through gifts of all sizes from alumni, alumni parents, current parents, and other members of our community. 

Will you join us in supporting today's students and faculty? The end of the calendar year is a powerful time to join with others and give in support of your alma mater. Your investment in LFA makes great things possible.

It's easy to make a gift online at www.lfanet.org/give Thank you for your consideration.
Mark Your Calendars: Alumni Weekend & Reunion 2022
We are excited to announce that Alumni Weekend & Reunion 2022 will be held September 23-25. Start gathering up your Ferry Hall or Lake Forest Academy memorabilia, looking through your yearbooks, and reaching out to friends -- especially if you are in milestone classes that end in 2 or 7. 

If you have questions or would like to take part in rallying your class, please contact Hannah Shallenberger, Director of Annual and Reunion Giving, at hshallenberger@lfanet.org or 847.615.3233. 

caption for photo above: Members of the LFA Class of 1971 (Kevin Wagner, Michael Springer, John Morrison, Michael Pollak, and Yosuf Taraki) celebrating their 50th reunion on campus in September 2021. In honor of their milestone reunion year, members of the class are supporting the Walter R. Hoesel Endowment for Student Support at LFA, a fund designed to assist students in financial need and to help them fully engage in school life at LFA. The Fund is named for former LFA head of school, Walter Hoesel. For more information about the Hoesel Fund and the Hoesel Endowment, please contact Ruth Keyso at rkeyso@lfanet.org
Winter Athletics Season Underway
If you're interested in catching a Caxy game at home or on the road, check out the athletics calendar on the LFA website. Hope to see you in the gym or rink. And don't forget to follow LFA Athletics on Facebook and Insta!
Order Caxy Gear Now and Enjoy Free Shipping!
Need to refresh your athletic wear? Looking for new LFA and Ferry Hall branded items? Visit our online store lfacaxys.com and have fun showing off your orange and black--or yellow and white! (Free shipping from Nov. 25-Dec. 3 to the 48 contiguous states.)