It’s amazing to think we are already one-third of the way through the school year, but the saying, “Time flies when you are having fun,” absolutely describes my experiences at Lakes. I have a front row seat cheering on our Eagles in the classroom, on the field, in the gym, on the stage, and everywhere Eagles are excelling. We started the first day of school with the freshmen entering the building on a red carpet, and the entire student body has been performing like rock stars ever since.
The Royal Rush leaders – McKenzie Fullington, Kylie Ledyard, Derek Lucier, Paul Migas, Katie Mercure, & Jayvon Smith – got the school spirit flowing early with weekly updates on where and how to support our teams. Our Student Council orchestrated a successful Homecoming Week packed with well-attended traditions of a parade on Eagle Way, an all fall sports senior night, two girls flag football games, a bonfire, a very wet football game, and a celebratory Homecoming dance. Our fall sports teams found great success with conference and state recognitions you can read about in the coming pages. The fall play, The Bookstore, had four shows with a cast and crew of 70 total students and the most elaborate set yet for LCHS. The choreography on stage with the moving bookcases was truly mesmerizing!
It is a pleasure to recognize our list of Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program: Nell Cichon, Liam Makela, and Cody Summerson. Commended Students are being recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2022. Also honored this fall was senior Abby Gedville. At the KEMPA journalism conference at UW Whitewater, Abby won the prestigious “Best in Show” honor. In addition, she received with the top prize from the School Photographers of America earning a new Sony mirrorless camera as the Grand Champion. As a school, Lakes was ranked by US News and World Report as the 66th Best High School in Illinois placing us in the top 10% of Illinois high schools!
Moving into the winter months, our extracurricular clubs and teams are starting to practice and compete. The LCHS eSports team already brought home a 5th place state finish in Mario Kart 8 Fall Season LAN and is anticipating a strong season. Catch our concerts, competitions, and performances in person or on our YouTube channel @LakesEaglesD117. Hope to see you at a Lakes event this winter!
In the Eagle Spirit,
Jori Bowen
Principal
Lakes Community High School
