Friday Fanscout

• Forest Scout Friday
• Safe2Help Illinois

• ACT Assessments
• Class of 2025 - Apply for the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award (OSAA)
• Distinguished Educator Award
• Important Senior Celebrations
• Link Crew Leaders Needed
• Free ACT Practice
• Summer School Registration is Now Open!

• Athletics
• A Toast to the Class of 2025 from the Class of 1955
• Congressman Brad Schneider 2025 Congressional Art Competition
• CROYA
• Friday Morning News
• LFHS Grant Day
• Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Hiring Event
• National Technical Honor Society

Scouts Trailing News

• LFHS Alumni Wall of Fame
• LFHS Spring Luncheon
• National Alliance on Mental Health
• Student One Pager

Community Event Opportunities

• Spring 2025 Teen Talks

Need the FanScout translated? Please see the translation button on the upper right corner of this communication! ¿Necesitas traducir el FanScout? Por favor, vea el botón de traducción arriba a la derecha!

Happy Friday Lake Forest Community High School Families,

We are back with a video below! For those who can't watch, salient points about next week's PreAct/ACT are as follows:

1. Arrive by 7:45 AM on April 8th. Testing rooms are posted in the Commons area.

2. Fully charged laptop, please!

3. Bring your ID.

4. Make sure the Test Nav app is on your computer! (The video has "troubleshooting tips" if needed!).

5. JUNIORS: You will have the ability to send your scores to colleges for free, within a 48 hour window of completing the ACT. You will not know your score. Please talk this over as a family. If you do not want to take advantage of the free score reports to colleges, you will still have the ability to pay a fee and send them later.

As your Scouts prepare for Tuesday, remember to help us build confidence in our students. The quality of teaching and learning, far beyond what a single test can measure, is second to none at Lake Forest High School, and our students are well prepared to do their very best.

Wishing you and yours a fabulous weekend!

Erin

.

Friday Five: The Friday Five features students and staff doing their part to make LFHS a better place.

Overall Must-Read:

• In LFHS Editor Kallista Schneiderman- LFHS Celebrates The Day of (No) Silence

In LFHS:

• Editor-in-Chief Lyla Carney and Video Editor Grace Donovan- College Corner Week #8

• Staff Writer Natalee Hoel- Come Along For The Ride: TEDx LFHS 2025

In Between the Lines:

• Staff Writer Tommy Swift- Owen Kohut Sets Sail to Georgetown

In Our Opinion:

• Guest Columnist Mr. John Wanninger- ‘Being Silent is No Longer an Option’

• Staff Writer Gavin Burns- Top 5 Ways LFHS Should Utilize the Front Lawn More

In Style:

• Staff Writer Maggie Gilleran- OOTW #3

Watch-It:

• Special Guests Lilly Stauffer, Grace Donnellan, Jack Clark, Will Hirschfield, Maria Alzamora, Joey Van Camp, Kayla Perez, Clay Goldhaber, Hannah Miczuga, and Runo Ogujere- Morning News 4/4

Lake Forest School District 115 now uses Safe2Help Illinois for confidential reporting of concerns like bullying, safety threats, or mental health issues. This 24/7 statewide tool connects students to the right support—school staff, mental health professionals, or law enforcement.

This program is accessbile by app, text (SAFE2 to 72332), phone (844-4-SAFEIL), or website (safe2helpil.com), Safe2Help focuses on prevention and building a culture of trust and care.

April 8: ACT Suite of Assessments (No School for Seniors)

April 10: BPAC Meeting 6:30 PM

April 10: Percussion Festival (Little Theater) 7:30 PM

April 11: Vocal Honors Recital (Little Theater, during the school day)

April 14: Alumni Wall of Fame Day

April 16: Band Honors Recital (Little Theater, during the school day)

April 17: Band Honors Recital (Little Theater, during the school day)

April 17: D67/D115 BOE + Superintendent Community Coffee (Lake Bluff Police Department) 6:30 PM

April 18: Deadline to Drop a Class

April 24-26: Musical (RMA) 7:00 PM

April 25: Emergency Make Up Day (No-School, unless an emergency day is used)

May 1: Senior Breakfast 7:30 AM

May 1: Orchestra Recital (RMA) 10:25 AM

May 2: Choir Concert (RMA) 7:30 PM

May 5-16: AP Testing

May 7: Freshman Counselor Seminar (Students Only)

May 8: Freshman Counselor Seminar (Students Only)

As part of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) guidelines, LFHS will continue administering ACT assessments this year. These assessments provide a valuable opportunity for students to demonstrate their college and career readiness.

Who is Testing?

• Seniors – Are not testing and do not have school.
• Juniors – ACT with Writing (State of Illinois graduation requirement)
• Sophomores – PreACT Secure
• Freshmen – PreACT 9 Secure

Test Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025

For freshmen and sophomores, this is a great way to practice for the ACT and track your growth. For juniors, this is your chance to showcase your college readiness skills. All students should take the assessment seriously and put forth their best effort.

Test Day Details

• Testing begins at 8:00 am – arrive between 7:30 am - 7:45 am
• Bring your student ID – you’ll need it to check in
• Use your fully charged school-issued MacBook – the test is digital
• The ACT will be taken in the TestNav app (restart your MacBook over the weekend to install updates)

• Test duration:
• ACT (Juniors) – 5 sections (Reading, English, Math, Science, Writing) – 3 hours, 35 minutes
• PreACT Secure & PreACT 9 Secure (Sophomores & Freshmen) – 4 sections (Reading, English, Math, Science) – 2 hours, 10 minutes
• Students with accommodations may have extended testing times

Helpful Test Day Information

• Students may bring water and a small snack
• The cafeteria and The Grind will be open before testing for breakfast/snacks (not available during the test)
• No mobile phones or wearable devices (smartwatches, etc.) during the test – they must be turned off and stowed away
• Students must remain in their assigned testing location for the entire duration of the test

After the Test

• There are no classes on this day – students will be dismissed once testing is complete
• Two bus routes will run after testing:
  • First departure: Around 12:30 pm
  • Second departure: Around 2:30 pm
• Cafeteria & The Grind open for grab-and-go options from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
• Be mindful that some rooms may finish testing later than others—please keep noise levels down

If you have any questions, please contact:

Frank Lesniak
Assistant Principal, Student Operations
📧 flesniak@lfschools.net | 📞 847-582-7736

Outstanding Senior Athlete Award (OSAA) Applications for 2025 are now open!

Each year, Boosters recognizes four senior athletes with the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award. These students have demonstrated excellence through their athletic performance, leadership, spirit and sportsmanship as an athlete at LFHS. Four $1,000 awards are given to two outstanding female and two outstanding male athletes. These award winners will also be prominently displayed on the “Images of Excellence Mural” at West Campus.

*Seniors who will be collegiate athletes receiving full Division 1 scholarships may not be eligible to accept the money award portion of the OSAA in order to adhere to NCAA guidelines. These seniors are still encouraged to apply for the OSAA.**In order to be considered, the LFHS student-athlete must complete an application by the deadline indicated. Applicants with any current Category 2 or Category 3 violations of the LFHS Code of Conduct will not be considered. Any repeated Category 1 violations of the LFHS Code of Conduct or serious infractions in the Dean's office may result in an application being removed from consideration.

Seniors, you may now nominate a faculty member for the Distinguished Educator Award! This award was created in honor of Tom Wing, a beloved teacher. The essay should be written by a senior (or several seniors) about a faculty member who has made a difference in their high school careers.

All applications are due by Friday, May 2nd at 12 pm.

Full details can be found here, including the full history of the award, specific prompts that may be used as well as guidelines to follow.

Please make sure all submissions are on time and submitted to this email address (educatoraward@lfschools.net).

Attention Seniors! The last two months of high school are filled with wonderful events, last opportunities, and celebrations. Be sure to check out our new Senior Commons: LFHS Class of 2025 page with all things related to the end of your time at LFHS. There are also two opportunities for you to honor those who helped you through the last 4 years. Check out both QR codes to nominate a member of our support staff and/or a faculty member who have made a difference in your life at LFHS.

Linked below are free ACT Test Prep and AP Test Prep that students can sign up for to further prepare for these exams. These are not run through LFHS, but they are great resources. Please take a look if you are interested. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you.

Frank Lesniak

Free ACT Practice

AP Test Day Experience

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Summer School registration in now open for the upcoming school year. Click on the link below to view our Summer School catalog and register for classes. Registration for most Summer School courses close on Friday, May 23rd. Driver Ed Registration closes on Friday, April 11th.

Raising their glasses to the LFHS Class of ’25 are boys from the Class of ’55. Including the girls, our class numbered only 100. Most of us lived out ordinary lives. But some proved exceptional.

On his way to becoming a jet pilot, “Varsity Jon” Shafer (seated second from right) entered the brand new Air Force Academy’s first class. Larry Smith (seated far right) and his wife (classmate Marilyn Lindstrom) dedicated their lives to the Boy Scouts of America. Not pictured is Art Peter, awarded a Battlefield Commission in the US Marines during the Viet Nam War.

Others not pictured include Valedictorian John Stang who excelled in business after graduating from Princeton. With his M.D. from Harvard, Sam Ward served Penn State’s School of Medicine as a Professor of Pathology.

Laurie Ullman (top left) applied his Harvard M.A. to teaching High School Physics. Gary Patton (seated center) became a Professor of Experimental Psychology. “Prez (Tom) Knez” (top row, second left) became a dentist.

Standing with bow tie, Jim Macke’s rich baritone voice graced the air waves for listeners and choral audiences in Oregon. Beach and harbor improvements owe much to Byron Prais (wearing glasses) who served as Lake Forest Director of Building and Zoning.

Our Class Motto was: “We Do Good Work.” At least until the 50th reunion when our irrepressible class comedian, Whitey Olson, changed it to: “We’re Done Workin!”

Now another 20 years have passed. The dwindling number who remain still cherish classmates and memories from our four years together at LFHS. May it be the same for you.

As you plunge into the unknowable future, wishing you the very best – “Here’s to You!”

Congressman Brad Schneider is excited to announce the 2025 Congressional Art Competition, an annual event that provides high school students in Illinois’s 10th Congressional District—and across the country—an opportunity to showcase their artistic talents.

This year, we’ve made some key changes:

New Online Submission Process – Students must now complete the release form through our automated system. Art Competition | Congressman Brad Schneider

Theme

There’s no theme this year! Students are encouraged to submit artwork that reflects their own creative vision, as long as it adheres to the Congressional Institute Suitability Guidelines (See rules).

Rules & Guidelines

• Each school may submit up to 10 works of art.

• Students must reside in Illinois’s 10th Congressional District. Verify your student’s district: Find Your Representative.

• Framing is encouraged for protection and ease of transport; if framing isn’t possible, artwork should be at least matted.

• Artwork must not exceed 26” (H) × 26” (W) × 4” (D).

• Submissions must be original in concept, design, and execution and comply with U.S. copyright laws.

Prizes & Recognition

1st Place: Artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year + Two round-trip tickets to Washington, D.C. (courtesy of Southwest Airlines) for the awards ceremony.

2nd Place: Artwork displayed in Congressman Schneider’s District Office.
3rd Place: Artwork displayed in Congressman Schneider’s Washington, D.C. Office.

Important Dates:

Artwork Submission Deadline: April 14 (Before 5:00 PM)

Drop-off Location: Rep. Schneider’s Office
Address: 111 Barclay Blvd, Suite 200, Lincolnshire, IL
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Congressional Art Competition Reception

May 3 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM
Location: College of Lake County Esper Peterson Reading Room, Grays Lake, IL

Congressional Art Competition - Congressional Institute”

• 4/9 - Want to run for a CROYA exec position? Join our Dinner meeting at CROYA from 5:30-7pm to learn more about each position!

• 4/9 - High School Meeting – Taskmaster from 7-8pm at CROYA.

The Lake Forest High School Foundation celebrated its 23rd annual Grant Day on Friday, March 14th. Foundation Trustees traveled the halls of LFHS with great news for grant recipients - their grants had been funded. Read all about it here!

Congratulations to our scouts who are a part of The National Technical Honors Society. The National Technical Honor Society recognizes outstanding student achievement in career and technical education programs. In order to be inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), students were required to meet the following rigorous criteria:

• Earn an A in the first semester of their technical course;
  
  

• Hold senior status (12th grade);
  
  

• Consistently demonstrate leadership, honesty, and pride in their skills and competencies;
  
  

• Set career goals for the future and discuss those goals with their instructor;
  
  

• Maintain a positive attitude that reflects the honor and responsibility of NTHS membership.

Celebrating Educational Excellence

On Friday, May 2nd, the LFHS Foundation will host its 15th Annual Spring Luncheon at Knollwood Club. This year's event features Harlan Cohen, the New York Times bestselling author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College and six other titles (over 1 million copies in print). Tickets and raffle tickets for the event are available now at https://LFHSLunch25.givesmart.com. All parents, alumni, and community members are welcome. Please join us!

Here is the updated student one pager.

Student One Pager

Lake Forest Community High School District 115 may share content from public/private schools, government entities, community organizations, or 501(c)(3) nonprofits that align with district-related events, initiatives, or youth activities. Distribution of external content is at the District’s discretion. The District is not responsible for the content or accessibility of external websites. For more information, visit our website.

Spring 2025 Teen Talks topics—designed to inspire, empower, and connect adoptees in a safe, virtual space. First Monday of each month at 7 PM (CST).

Join us virtually for these engaging discussions:

• February 3rd: Community

• March 3rd: Identity

• April 7th: Adoption and the Media

• May 5th: Microaggressions

This teen-led support group is a judgment-free zone to share your story, learn from others, and explore topics that matter.

Tag a friend who might be interested and share this post to spread the word!

Visit our website to register: icare4aaff.org or email:teentalks@icare4aaff.org

#TeenTalks #AdopteeSupport #AdoptionJourney #VirtualSupport #SpringTopics #iCARE4AAFF