Greetings!
We are winding down the school year and looking forward to graduation at the end of May. It has been a terrific academic year. Thank you to all alumni who have engaged with the Academy during the past 9 months. If your summer travels bring you to the Chicago area, please stop by campus. We'd love to see you!
Ruth Keyso
Director of Alumni Engagement
847.615.3268 (office)
847.224.6072 (cell)
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Gala 2023: We Had a Ball!
We are deeply grateful to all LFA community members who joined us for Gala 2023 on April 29. It was an enormous success: More than $790,000 was raised toward the Athletic Center Expansion project. Special thanks to Gala Co-Chairs Trustee Charlie ’96 and Nicole Cooper, whose support and volunteerism on this event was key to its success.
We continue to seek philanthropic support for the Athletic Center Expansion. Opportunities for named spaces remain available, including for squash courts, locker rooms, an indoor running track, and multi-use courts. In addition, donors who make gifts of $10,000 or more will be recognized on a plaque inside the new building. Gifts honoring LFA coaches, teachers, mentors, family members, and loved ones represent meaningful ways to support the project.
To make a gift to the Athletic Center Expansion, click here.
Lastly, please enjoy the video below, featuring LFA alumni, students, faculty, and coaches, who share in their own words what athletics means to them and how the Athletic Center Expansion will benefit future generations of Caxys.
caption for photo above: We enjoyed a strong alumni presence at Gala 2023. Pictured are (l to r): Elizabeth (Rader) Martin '96, Jim Liggett '96 and his wife, Karen, Tom Cooper P'96, Nicole and Charlie Cooper '96 (co-chairs of Gala), and David Allen '96
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New Trustees and Life Trustees Named
Congratulations to the following alumni and current/alumni parents who were named to the LFA Board of Trustees. Welcome aboard! And thank you to the three trustees who will fulfill their 9-year terms on the Board as of June 30 and have accepted the Board's invitation to serve as Life Trustees at Lake Forest Academy. We are grateful for your service and philanthropy to LFA. You have made a world of difference!
Chair-Elect, LFA Board of Trustees
Jessica Douglas '96
New Board Members:
Eric R. Brown '98
Katie Segal Frekko P'21, '24, '27
Suzanne Isenberg '83
Ned Jessen P'01, '05
Margeaux McReynolds '02
Life Trustees:
Rumi Kuli '93, P'17, '22
John Marlatt '65
Kathy Pollock '70
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Students Present Capstone Projects
A trio of seniors in the Global Concentration cohort program at LFA, Evan Wang, Bika Gupta, and Nicholas Bisulca, presented their senior capstone research projects on May 10 to members of the LFA community.
Several alumni assisted our students with their research: John Dille '59 (faculty, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University); George Harmon '59 (associate professor emeritus, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism); and Isabelle Chapman '09 (producer, CNN) assisted Bika in learning about news deserts throughout the United States; LFA Board Chair-Elect Jessica Douglas '96 assisted Nick with a project on the prison system and recidivism in the United States. Thank you, alumni, for sharing your knowledge and expertise with our students.
caption for photo above: Nick Bisulca '23 presents his capstone project in Corbin
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Alumna Speaks with Students
Thank you to alumna Caton Brewster '10, who spoke via Zoom with students in Joe Ward's computer science classes at LFA in May. Caton is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She works as a software engineer at findhelp in Denver. Thank you, Caton!
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End-of-Year Events
The end of the academic year at LFA is a special time. We look forward to celebrating our students at the following events.
May 24: Senior Dinner
May 25: Cum Laude Luncheon (guest speaker Graham Harwood '11), Athletic Awards Ceremony, Talent Show
May 26: Move-Up Day
May 27: Graduation
Congratulations to the LFA Class of 2023! Welcome to the alumni community!
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Balson Retires from LFA
Congratulations to Noelle Balson on her retirement from LFA. Noelle taught Spanish in the Modern & Classical Languages Department at LFA for 18 years. Noelle pioneered the Spanish Culture Class, devoting endless hours to designing the course and organizing curricular trips, which involved selfless service in remote communities in the Hispanic world.
Her career spans decades and includes roles not only in teaching (English, French, Spanish) but also in banking and marketing. She has lived in France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and the United States.
Noelle was instrumental in founding the Lycée Français de Chicago and served as its first administrator.
Noelle is beloved by her students, advisees, and colleagues. She is a passionate, supportive, and enthusiastic individual, who will be sorely missed. We wish her all the best in retirement!
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YA Happy Hour
Alumni, join us on Thurs., July 13 for the annual young alumni happy hour in Chicago at Punch Bowl Social in Fulton Market District! For graduates in the classes of 2008-2019. We'll bring faculty members with us--a great way to spend a summer night.
Details and registration HERE.
Our Host Committee includes the following alumni:
Eric Bauer '12 (AAB), Josh Brass '10 (AAB), Romaer Chopra '15 (AAB)
Mbasa Mayikana '14, Emma Ismail '15, Liza Tarr '15
Peter Corsiglia '17, Katie Dozois '17
Andrew Ryder '17, Connor Hudziak '19
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Teacher Appreciation
The month of May includes Teacher Appreciation Week – which corresponds closely with AP tests, final exams, and end-of-semester celebrations for clubs, teams, and the arts.
All year LFA teachers have worked hard in the classroom to give each learner a multifaceted experience that caters to their equally multifaceted needs.
Make a gift to support our faculty in honor of your favorite LFA or Ferry Hall teacher at www.lfanet.org/give.
Caption for photo below: (l to r) LFA teachers Chris Dozois ’84, Diane Cooper, Jess Kapadia, Filipp Velgach, and Suzy Vaughn celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week.
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Then and Now – Reunion 2023
Save the Date postcards for Reunion 2023 have landed in mailboxes. Now that you’ve marked
your calendar for October 14 – you have, right? – reach out to a classmate or someone you want to reconnect with and make sure they plan to attend as well!
This year’s Reunion theme is “Then and Now” – make sure to come to see what has changed (a few buildings) and what hasn’t (the connections formed in your high school years).
Caption: Kristin Rey ’83 and Lynette Robinson Baker ’84 at the Reunion Picnic, 2022
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Class Notes and Death Notices
We plan to run class notes and death notices in the alumni enews as well as in the Review. Please click here to read recent submissions. Send your career/family updates and photos to classnotes@lfanet.org
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Contact Info Updates
If you have recently moved, changed jobs or have a new email address or cell phone number, please let us know so that we can update our database and reach you with news from LFA. Send your data to updates@lfanet.orgdates@lfanet.org
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Link In with Us
Alumni, stay connected with us through the LFA Alumni LinkedIn page. As our students graduate from LFA and start building their networks of alumni contacts, we'd like our LinkedIn site to be as robust as possible. Thank you for joining our group.
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