Early release scheduled for last day of school, May 28 The last day of school will be on Tuesday, May 28th. Students will be released at 12:30, and lunch will be served during periods 4-6. Click Here for a copy of the schedule.
Graduation pictures now available for purchase Photos from the 2013 commencement ceremony are available for purchase directly from HR Imaging. Click Here for a direct link to the graduation photos. Pictures can be purchased for as little as $5.00. Pictures from other events are posted as well be going to shop.hrimaging.com and using the menu options to navigate to the Lakes Community High School page. Graduation pictures will be available for 90 days. Questions? Call HR Imaging customer service at 1-800-433-1766
With well deserved fanfare, Lakes graduates 349 seniors The Class of 2013 took to the stage and received diplomas this past Sunday, marking the end of their time at Lakes and the beginning of their journey into the rest of their lives. Despite the threat of bad weather, it ended up being a warm spring day, and all the graduates had to contend with was a little wind. The graduates were treated to speeches from seniors Hayley Green and Alex Danilushkin, and from faculty members Ms. Cathy Ingram and Mr. Kurt Rowells. The entire Lakes family is very proud of the Class of 2013, and wishes them the best of luck in the future.
District technology tools & resources about to evolve Significant changes are in the works on the technology front for the 2013-14 school year. District 117 students and staff will arrive in August with a new array of tools and resources to help them meet the demands of today. Google Apps will be the centerpiece of these new tools. Gmail will provide text, voice, and video messaging. Google Calendar will enable school and class event scheduling. Google Docs allows creation and sharing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more with online storage hosted by Google. Teachers can create rich websites with Google Sites, which allows easy integration of video, calendars and more. In addition, the district is installing six Google Chromebook mobile labs each at Antioch and Lakes High Schools. These will replace 250 aging desktop computers, and the shift will allow three times more students to have access to technology as before at virtually the same cost. District 117's three websites will be consolidated into one web portal and use a content management system that will allow for multiple contributors to publish news and other information. When it becomes live on August 1, web visitors will start at www.CHSD117.org and select the content they wish to view. The new site is being developed by A&M Media. Finally, the district will unveil a new logo that incorporates the interconnectivity of its communities and schools. Students and staff will receive new email addresses with a consistent naming convention. Single Sign On will offer a single password for student access to district workstations and applications. Memorizing multiple passwords will be a thing of the past. Much more information about the upcoming evolution of our technology systems is available in a special edition of our newsletter. Click here to read it.
Senior Picture Scheduled for Graduation Rehearsal Friday's graduation rehearsal will include a senior class picture out at the football field. HR Imaging will take a panoramic picture at 10:00am, and is selling the picture for $20. Click Here for an order form or order on line at shop.hrimaging.com
Booster Bash Raises over $23,000 for Student Programs The Booster Bash totals are in, and $23,162 was raised during the event; surpassing last year's Booster Bash by over $6000. Thank you to all the parents, community members, and staff that came out to the event. Year after year the booster club has supported many different student programs at Lakes. The video below is a brief look at the impact the Booster Club has had over the years.
Lakes Community Rallies Around Future Eagles A fire recently ravaged the house of the Fellows family living in Heritage Trails, and Lakes is rising to the occasion to help out. Student Council will be selling popsicles Tuesday and Wednesday in the cafeteria for $0.50 each, with proceeds going to help the family. In addition, a Culvers night has been arranged for Tuesday, May 14th, from 4:30 to 8:30 at the Antioch Culvers. 10% of all sales during that time will go directly to the family. Anyone wishing to help directly can contact North Shore Bank and Trust and reference the Fellows Family Help Fund (#725403802).
Eagles Earn High Marks On National Spanish Exam Congratulations to several world language students from Lakes Community High School who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2013 National Spanish Examinations. Students from Lakes earned a total of 2 gold, 7 silver and 9 bronze medals along with 40 honorable mentions. “Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 156,000 students participating in 2013.” This is the first year that Lakes Students have participated in the exam. Freshman Karla Gomez participated in the Level 3 Bilingual test and her score placed her in the top ten for the Chicago Region. The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in grades 6 through 12, and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
The rankings were determined as follows:
Gold - Students scoring at or above the 95th percentile are awarded a Premio de Oro.
Silver - Students scoring from the 85th through the 94th percentiles receive a Premio de Plata.
Bronze - Students scoring from the 75th through the 84th percentiles receive a Premio de Bronce.
Honor - Students scoring at or above the 50th percentile (national average) through the 74th percentile are awarded a Mención Honorífica.
Chris Snyder Earns IBCA Honor for Second Time For the second year in a row, boys' basketball coach Chris Snyder has been recognized by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as one of the Co-Coaches of the Year for 2013. He will be honored at an event Saturday, April 27th in Bloomington-Normal. As for his thoughts on receiving the award for a second time, Snyder is humble. "It's a good program award, because [the program] is only as good as the players and other coaches," said Snyder. For only his second year as head coach, Snyder has led the eagles to an impressive 20-11 season. Snyder was selected by his fellow coaches to receive this award.
Diana O'Connor Named Golden Apple Finalist The Golden Apple Foundation has recently recognized Diana O'Connor as one of 32 finalists out of a pool of more than 500 nominations. Although O'Connor had been at Lakes for three years, she has been directing choirs at a number of area high school, and brings a great deal of experience to the table. Her career was recently featured in a story on the Illinois State University website, which highlights the accomplishments of alumni. This Friday, representatives from the Golden Apple Foundation will make a site visit to Lakes to observe O'Connor in the classroom. They will also meet with representatives of the students, parents, teachers, and administration to learn more about O'Connor's work. Of the 32 finalists, 10 will be chosen as award recipients, earning both a $3000 scholarship and the ability to take classes at Northwestern University. Best of luck to Ms. O'Connor in this next round of evaluation.
'Around the World' Prom Tickets On Sale Next Week Tickets to this year's prom, Around the World, will be on sale next week. Thursday, April 11th, prom tickets can be purchased during the lunch hours. Friday, April 12th, tickets will be on sale during lunch and after school from 3:00 to 7:00 pm in the commons. The cost of each ticket is $65. Any student wishing to go to prom must have all paperwork and money ready to purchase tickets. Tickets will not be sold after April 12th. Please visit the prom info page for more information on purchasing tickets, a copy of the guest application, and the table seating form. The post prom event will be held at the Lakeview Rec Plex in Pleasant Prairie, WI. Tickets will cost $25 and include transporation, access to sporting events, swimming, movies, and food. Tickets will be available when you purchase prom tickets. See the Prom Info page for details.
For Yash Miriyala, Hard Work + Dedication = Success Adding to the already impressive math team record, Yash Miriyala has just made the 2013 ARML Chicago All-Star Freshmen Math team. Although only in his first year at Lakes, Miriyala says his experience in Calculus BC has helped during his competitions. "For the calculator team, there are more problems that require a smart use of your calculator. [The questions] can vary from algebra through pre-calculus," said Miriyala. "They test you on various concepts, and the questions require more out of the box thinking." Congratulations to Yash Miriyala, and the entire math team on their success this year.
Boys' Basketball Win Regional Title, Look to Sectionals For the second year in a row, the varsity boys' basketball team has clinched the regional title, extending their record to 24-6. Last Friday's game was dominated by the Eagles, who won a decisive 49-35 victory over the No. 7 Wauconda Bulldogs. According to senior Andrew Spencer, the team's success is due in large part to an effective defense. "Our defense fuels our energy in the offense," said Spencer. Of course, his eight points, including a slam dunk, also helped the Eagles to victory. The first sectional game will be played tonight, at Antioch, against No. 7 Carmel. Should the Eagles win, they will play in the sectional championship game Friday. Both games start at 7:30. Good luck Eagles!
Winter Guard Brings Home Third State Title The Lakes Winter Guard's hard work has paid off, as the team took the state title for the third time in as many years. In addition, they broke their own record, earning a total of 97.9 points, including a "perfect 10" in one of the rating categories. The girls had the highest overall score of the 15 competing winter guard teams for the second year in a row. They also earned the highest score of the day out of a total of 169 performances. "All the practice we have had helped us be successful," said Senior Danielle Latza. "Ms. Cederna really helped us focus on our routines, and she really helped us with our counts."
Jake Kohler Named Comcast Athlete of the Week Senior Jake Kohler is being recognized by Comcast Sports New as their Allstate Insurance Athlete of the Week. Jake and the team will be featured on High School Lites, airing on Comcast Sports New this weekend. A film crew was here on Wednesday to interview Kohler and film the team practicing for the show. The next episode of High School Lites will air tonight after the Blackhawks game, and will replay Saturday morning at 7:30 and 8:30. The episode can also can be viewed by clicking here. Congratulations Jake!
– Final Exams: May 22,23, and 24
– Memorial Day: May 27 - No School
– Last Day of School: May 28
– Summer School Begins: June 3
The last day of school will be on Tuesday, May 28th. Students will be released at 12:30, and lunch will be served during periods 4-6. 
