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Superintendent's
With second quarter underway and parent-teacher conferences concluding today, I realize just how quickly the 2014-2015 school year seems to be going already. Underclassmen will be registering for classes next month and our senior students are busy completing early admission applications for the colleges of their choice.
But today, in celebration of Principal Appreciation Week, I'd like to acknowledge two individuals who strive to make every day impactful. Jim Roberts joined Lake Park in July 2007, and his responsibilities focused on curriculum and instruction while serving as an Assistant Principal at West Campus. Shortly in January 2009, Jim was named the Principal of East Campus where he has distinguished himself as a leader for our freshmen and sophomore students. Janet Constien was named the Principal of West Campus for the 2008-2009 school year and has been leading Lake Park's junior and senior students in the final years of preparation for their post-high school opportunities.
Together, the impressive work of our Principals and their administrative teams shape the experiences of all Lake Park Lancers that pass through our halls. They make decisions every day in the best interest of our district; engage with our students and their parents; build rapport with staff as well as sender school colleagues; work countless hours attending evening programs and weekend activities; keep abreast of best practices and participate in professional development; and enthusiastically demonstrate their Lancer spirit during assemblies and through participation in school and community fundraisers.
The accolades that Lake Park has recently earned - including the distinction of being named to the College Board AP Honor Roll and ranking on The Washington Post's list of America's Most Challenging High Schools - are a reflection of our Principals' dedication and commitment to nurturing a supportive learning environment.
School climate does not just exist; it develops from the quality of relationships. "We Are Lake Park" has been a unifying theme for former, current and even future Lancers. We are proud of our students and our alumni who represent LP. I commend Jim and Janet for their exemplary contributions to unite our school community and to guide their building teams and deliver such positive results.
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The Lake Park High School Community Relations Office publishes the LP Link bi-weekly to highlight the latest news at Lake Park. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Sherri Anderson, director of communications, at sanderson@lphs.org.
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Lancers Earn Prestigious National Merit Recognition
 | Lake Park's Class of 2015 National Merit students
(Not pictured: Erin Bottino, Aaron Hollatz,
Seunghoon Daniel Lee and Jarissa Sabal) |
Congratulations to the fourteen Lake Park students who have earned academic recognition through the 60th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.4 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT�), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
Semifinalists: Seniors Natalie Banas, Giovanni Basso, Kelsey Kaufmann and Katarina Martucci have been selected as Semifinalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Competition. They were selected based on test scores of the 2013 PSAT/NMSQT and represent less than one percent of the U.S. High School seniors. The approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,600 Merit Scholarship awards worth $33 million.
Commended Students: Seniors Edan Armas, Brian Bayer, Erin Bottino, Aaron Hollatz, Seunghoon Daniel Lee, Jarissa Sabal, Neema Samawi, Samuel Schumacher, Jay Singh, and Timothy Weiss have been selected among 34,000 Commended Students nationwide who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2015 competition for Merit Scholarship Awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million juniors who entered the 2015 competition and may become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
National Hispanic Recognition: Seniors Edan Armas, Erin Bottino and Giovanni Basso have also been selected as 2015 National Hispanic Recognition Program award recipients. The College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) identifies academically outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students. Each year, the NHRP honors about 5,000 of the highest-scoring students from over 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT.
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Submit Voice of Democracy Contest Entry by November 1
The Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars' (VFW's) premier scholarship program since 1947. Each year, almost 40,000 high school students compete for more than $2.1 million in scholarships and incentives. Prizes and scholarships are awarded at the Post, district, state and national level.
Itasca VFW Post 5167 encourages Lake Park students to enter the Voice of Democracy contest for a chance to win prize money: $300 for first place, $125 for second place, and $75 for third place. Read the contest requirements and complete an entry by Saturday, November 1 for consideration.
The VFW established the Voice of Democracy program to provide students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to express themselves in regards to democratic ideas and principles. Students compete by writing and recording a 3-5 minute audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. This year's theme is: "Why Veterans are Important to our Nation's History and Future." For questions, contact VFW Quartermaster Carl Lostracco at (630) 773-2423.
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Health Department to Offer Vision and Hearing Screenings
The DuPage County Health Department has scheduled Vision and Hearing dates at East Campus for the 2014-2015 school year as follows: Wednesday, October 29 screening and Wednesday, November 12 re-screening.
Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor. Your child is not required to undergo this vision screening if an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report form indicating that an examination has been administered within the previous 12 months.
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 Explore Advanced Placement Options
Parents and students are invited to attend an "Exploring Advanced Placement Options" presentation on Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the West Campus student cafeteria. Information about Advanced Placement courses as well as an opportunity to meet and discuss these options with instructors and counselors are a part of the evening's agenda. For more information, view a detailed brochure that was recently mailed to all families with freshmen, sophomore and junior students.
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Course Selection Begins for the 2015-2016 School Year
Freshmen and sophomores will begin registering for the 2015-2016 academic year during the first and third weeks in November. Junior students will register for next school year with their individual counselors during second semester and can expect to receive more information later.
Freshman students will be divided during their lunch SSP time and will choose their electives with the help of counselors and staff. Presentations for all students about elective choices will take place the week before course selection to help in the decision-making process.
Parents are strongly encouraged to review the information recently mailed home and carefully select elective choices together with their sons and daughters, as those choices will be permanent once course selection is complete. Students will be able to make elective changes to their schedules through January 30, 2015. If a student has an elective change request, please have them speak to their counselor before this date.
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Bring Your Appetite to the "Best Pizza in Lancerland"
 The Lake Park Choral Association will once again host "Best Pizza in Lancerland" on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the East Campus student cafeteria. To date, the following Lancerland pizzerias are committed to competing for bragging rights to be voted best pizza: * Acuna Pizza (Roselle)
* Capri Pizza & Deli (Bloomingdale)
* Italian Pizza Kitchen (Roselle)
* LX Pizza-Char Grill (Bloomingdale)
* Pizzeria Antica (Bloomingdale)
* Pa Luigi's Pizza (Roselle)
Other pizzerias are still considering this opportunity to compete in the following categories: Best Thin Crust Cheese, Best Thin Crust Topping, Best Specialty and Best Pan/Stuffed/Deep Dish.
Get ready to bring your taste buds and cast your ballot for your favorites. Admission of $5 will be charged at the door for tasters over 5 years old. Beverages, cookies, and raffle tickets will also be available for sale. Families are encouraged to join their students for this fun-filled event, which include performances by members of the Lake Park Chorus. For more information, visit www.lakeparkchoir.org.
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Students Commemorate Veterans Day and WWI
 Make plans to commemorate Veterans Day and the 100th anniversary of World War One by attending a special community event the evening of Tuesday, November 11. East Campus Social Studies teacher Ms. Hamacher and nearly 20 student volunteers are finalizing a fair, which will include a gallery walk, visual displays, presentations and light refreshments. Lake Park students have been researching topics such as war propaganda, women in war, life in the trenches, and the influence of war on poetry and sports. Look for more information about the November 11 Veterans Day event in the next issue of LP Link.
Additional school activities on Veterans Day will feature students collecting donations for the American Legion Post 1084 in Roselle at the train station and other community locations during rush hour, social studies classes viewing a video featuring veterans from the Lake Park family and a gallery walk of war displays in the East Campus Resource Center.
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Bowl-A-Thon To Help Strike Out Reye's Syndrome
More than 100 Lake Park High School students will knock down pins in an effort to strike out Reye's Syndrome at its 36th annual Bowl-A-Thon to fight this deadly disease.
Students from Lake Park High School's Technical Student Organizations will bowl from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 7 to support the Northern Illinois Chapter of the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation. To date students have raised over $90,000 in donations since they first began supporting the bowl-a-thon more than three decades ago. This year students pledge to raise more than $4,000 in donations.
DECA (business club), FCCLA (Family, Careers, and Community Leaders of America) and FMP (Future Medical Professionals) are taking pledges until the day of the event. If anyone is interested in helping raise funds for Reye's Syndrome, contact Curriculum Leader and DECA advisor Kevin Jones at kjones@lphs.org or any student in DECA, FCCLA or FMP.
The Brunswick Zone, 1100 Lake St., will host the school's Bowl-A-Thon for Reye's Syndrome. Money raised by Lake Park will fund educational programs to alert children, teenagers and parents of the warning signs of Reye's Syndrome, a deadly disease that strikes swiftly and can attack any child or adult without warning.
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Seminar to Provide Resources for Parents of Teens
Lake Park Social Worker Nancy Gillies, a therapist with over 25 years of experience, will host an educational seminar offering a practical, problem-solving based approach to parenting today's teens. Hosted at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 13 and again on Thursday, November 20 at East Campus, the 90-minute workshop will provide an understanding of adolescents and the unique struggles for parents.
The sessions will focus on the emotional and psychological development of teenagers, parental rights and expectations, setting limits and enforcing consequences, and developing creative solutions. Parents will have an opportunity to share their specific issues and design a realistic plan for dealing with their teenager.
"Parent of Teens" is free and open to the community. To register, call (630) 295-5246 or email ngillies@lphs.org.
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 Marching Band Earns State Honors
Congratulations to the Lake Park Marching Band who was named the Class 6A Champion at the 2014 State of Illinois Invitational Championships this month. The band won the Class 6A awards for high achievement in music performance and general effect. The band also advanced to finals competition and was awarded 3rd place overall in State.
Good luck to our students, Director Steve Pyter, and his entire staff as they compete against some of the strongest marching band and color guard programs in the Midwest at the Bands of America Regional competition this weekend.
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Important Dates
Oct 24 Parent-Teacher Conferences (7:30 a.m. to 12 noon)/ Student Non-Attendance
Oct 27 Board of Education Meeting
Nov 19 SMART Schedule
Nov 26-28 Thanksgiving Break
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