The groundhog in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania said spring is coming early, and the sun is finally starting to poke out again. I hope your midwinter is going as well as it is for our Lakes Community. While some retreat and hibernate during the cold months, it has been a season of honor, success, and accolades for our Eagles. With the culmination of Fall sports, I am proud to share that all eight of our competitive teams earned IHSA Team Academic Achievement Awards. Our Varsity athletes greatly surpassed the needed 3.0 unweighted GPA to secure a 3.45 GPA this past season. This is no small feat, as we had almost 400 student-athletes involved in Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys and Girls Golf, Boys Soccer, Football, Girls Tennis, and Girls Volleyball. Field Hockey also met the GPA minimum, but is considered an emerging IHSA sport, so we were actually nine for nine! This tremendous success incorporates many of the components from our new District 117 Portrait of a Graduate.
One way we show “Respect + Courtesy = Pride” is by celebrating our students’ state-level capstone accomplishments through the tradition of a State Walk. With our Color Guard and Drumline leading their peers down the main hallway, the entire school population cheers for our Eagles…this is truly a sight to behold! Since January, Lakes has reached state distinctions for All State Theatre, All State Band, All State Choir, Cheer (who achieved 7th place in State!), and Chess. We are anxiously awaiting the culminating competitions for the rest of our Winter extracurriculars and hope there are more State Walks on the horizon.
Meeting our incoming freshman at Open House is one of my favorite events of the school year – right behind graduation and the first day of school. In January, we welcomed over 300 members of the Class of 2028 to the Nest. Current students and staff members hosted booths to share information and generate interest in classes, clubs, activities, athletics, and all extracurricular experiences. The energy was indescribable. I loved seeing the smiles on the faces of the Class of 2028 (as well as the relief on the faces of the parents/guardians), as they all departed at the end of the night.
Please check out the calendar on our school website to find an opportunity to cheer for our Eagles. You won’t want to miss our musical, Sister Act, with opening night on Thursday, February 29th. May we all enjoy an early spring; I know our outdoor spring athletes would sure appreciate it!
Fly, Eagles Fly!
Jori Bowen
Principal
Lakes Community High School
