Greetings!
We're ringing the bell again! What a great sound to hear on campus. As the tradition goes, students ring the Bowditch Bell after an away-game victory. Here, the boys baseball team signals its 4-3 win over Elgin on May 7.
During Memorial Day Weekend we will celebrate the Class of 2021 and welcome them into the alumni community. Please join me in congratulating them and wishing them success on their graduation from LFA.
Thank you all for helping us make this year a positive and productive one. We look forward to seeing you in person this fall for Alumni Weekend & Reunion. In the meantime, watch your email for news about our virtual events.
Go, Caxys!
Ruth Keyso
Director of Alumni Engagement
847.615.3268 (office)
847.224.6072 (cell)
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Graduation: Limited Capacity Due to COVID Restrictions
We are delighted to welcome 106 members of the Lake Forest Academy Class of 2021 to the alumni community at graduation on Saturday, May 29.
Alumni tell us they enjoy returning to campus to experience graduation in the Formal Gardens. Unfortunately, this year, per order of the Lake County Health Department, LFA must restrict the number of people on campus during the celebration. The Class of 2021 is required to limit their guests to two people. No alumni or alumni parents or other guests will be permitted at the ceremonies, unless they are the two guests of the graduate.
Your cooperation in ensuring the safety of our graduates and their families is greatly appreciated.
If you wish to watch graduation, LFA will livestream two ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Central. A link will be made available on the www.lfanet.org home page.
If you have questions about graduation, please contact Director of Alumni Engagement Ruth Keyso at rkeyso@lfanet.org or at 847.224.6072.
LFA plans to re-open campus this fall to alumni visitors and hopes to see you during Alumni Weekend & Reunion, Sept. 24-26, 2021. The Academy will honor reunion classes ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6, but ALL are welcome. In addition, 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame and Women of Distinction honorees will be recognized and celebrated. The 2020 recipients are Life Trustee Gloria Harper P’93 (Woman of Distinction), the late Robert Bates ’60 (Service to Society), Life Trustee Zaid Abdul-Aleem ’90 (Service to the School), Rebecca Makkai ’95 (Achievement in the Arts), Eric Stisser ’90 (Achievement in Athletics), and Bill Dolbee P’04, ’10 (Service to the School). 2021 recipients will be announced at a later date.
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A Glimpse of Campus
While campus has been closed to visitors all year, we wanted to give you a glimpse of what life has been like since we returned to in-person learning in August. Narrated by Head of School José M. De Jesús P'22, the video, produced by LFA Communications, provides a snapshot of life at LFA during the past academic year. Thank you to all of you for your support of the school during this challenging time.
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CNE Two Days Away!
Join us this Thursday, May 20 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. CT, via Zoom, for our Chicago Networking Event (CNE), a panel discussion moderated by Life Trustee Cate Waddell P'01, '03, former Chair of the LFA Board of Trustees, and featuring Carole Segal GP '21, '24 Co-Founder of Crate and Barrel; Louise Hamilton Short '66, Founder, Hamilton Financial Partners, Tulsa, OK; and Renata Ferraiolo P'21, '24 Vice President of Marketing for a Fortune 500 company.
The theme of this year's celebration is Extraordinary Women.
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Sports Fans Get Inside Look at LFA Athletics
Thank you to those who joined us online on May 12 for the second Town Hall of the academic year.
Hosted by Head of School José M. De Jesús P'22 and Athletic Director Darrin Madeley P'11, '14, the event underscored the importance of athletics at LFA and outlined where the program is headed in the years ahead.
The event also presented an opportunity for Madeley to introduce LFA's new Associate Athletic Director Alexis Venechanos, who begins her administrative and coaching career at LFA this summer.
Thank you all for your support of athletics at LFA. We hope to see you on the sidelines this fall.
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Three Veteran Teachers to Retire
The Academy is preparing to say farewell to three veteran faculty members who will retire after a combined 98 years of service to LFA. Connie McCabe and Paul Dunlop, along with Sarah Collins, will depart LFA with the Class of 2021.
Connie is the Chair of the ESL Department and Paul is Dean of Summer Session. Together they started the ESL program at LFA. They have been at the Academy for 42 years.
Sarah is a counselor at LFA and Director of Service Learning. She is retiring after 14 years of service to the Academy.
Connie, Paul, and Sarah have touched the lives of so many students over their decades of experience. Read more about Connie and Paul and their history at LFA in the most recent issue of the Spectator.
If you would like to make a gift in their honor at LFA, please visit www.lfanet.org/give (We will let them know that a tribute gift was made; we will not disclose the amount of the gift.) Thank you, everyone!
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Alumni Weekend & Reunion 2021
Who do you want to hear from? Win CUSTOM spirit items!
Thank you for responding to last month's alumni enews request for feedback on Alumni Weekend programming. And congratulations to drawing winner Tracy Kepler '86! This month, as we make plans for Alumni Weekend & Reunion 2021 (Sept. 24-26), we are interested in your thoughts on who you want featured at events – fellow alumni, faculty, students.
Everyone who responds to this two question survey will be entered to receive an LFA water bottle or Ferry Hall tumbler that we will customize with your name.
Feedback can also be sent to Hannah Shallenberger, Director of Alumni Reunions & Reunion Giving, at hshallenberger@lfanet.org
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Stock Market Gains = A Great Tax-wise Way to Support LFA
The stock market continues its upward trajectory, which means this is a great time to support LFA through a charitable gift of stock.
Giving non-cash assets, such as appreciated stock, can result in especially favorable tax treatment. Securities that have been owned for more than one year and have appreciated in value are subject to capital gains taxes; however, using these assets to fund a charitable gift allows you to bypass capital gains taxes and also enjoy a federal income tax deduction for the full value of the securities. For stock that is rising in value, consider gifting the stock and repurchasing additional shares to enjoy the tax-saving benefits and continued ownership at a more favorable cost basis.
LFA can provide you with the necessary information your broker will need, and we strongly advise that you contact the school before authorizing your gift to ensure timely valuation and proper recognition.
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Save the Date: Trivia Night
We've decided to stay virtual with our events throughout the summer and hope you'll plan to join us for a virtual trivia night on Thurs., July 15! Lots of fun and spectacular PRIZES (must be online to win!) Watch your email for more details. Open to all young alumni from the classes of 2006-2021!
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Stay Connected
There are lots of ways to stay connected to LFA and to your former classmates. Please join our LFA Alumni LinkedIn group and download the free LFA app ("Graduway"; available for mobile or desktop).
These tools provide a great way to stay in touch with LFA and to make valuable networking connections with fellow Caxys. Questions? Ruth Keyso 847.615.3268
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