Friday Fanscout, March 10, 2023

• Principal's Corner

Scouts Need To Know

• D115 Referendum Information
  

• Request Your Vote by Mail Ballot

• 2023 LFHS Summer School (Updated Information)
• TEDxLFHS
• Upcoming Assessment Calendar
  
• Project Safe Prom
  
• Upcoming FAN Events
• Spring Break (Date Correction)
• Help Needed Concessions
  
• Mobile Ticketing for Athletic Events

Scouts Nice To Know

• Tiktok Update Worth Sharing

• Athletics
  

• Scouts Girls Hockey Association Spring Season

• APT
  

• LFHS Foundation Grant Day (Highlights)

• LFHS Foundation Spring Luncheon
  

• Forest Scout Friday
  

• Booster Bash
  
• CROYA

• March 15: Orchestra Concert 7:30 PM (RMA)
  
• March 16: Illinois Science Assessment 7:45 AM
• March 18: LFHS Booster Madness 6:30 PM (The Forest Club)
• March 21: Community Safety Series: What Parents Need To Know About Fentanyl (7:00-8:30)
• March 22: Bilingual Parent Advisory Council Meeting (6:30-8:00 PM)
• March 24-31: Spring Break
• April 3: Back from Spring Break - School Reopens

We checked in with Dr. Jennifer Hermes, District 67 and 115 Chief Operating Officer to answer another question from you about the D115 Referendum.

This week, Dr. Hermes answers "Why are taxpayers being asked for such a large sum of money to maintain the high school rather than making these capital improvements on a more gradual basis?"

Dr. Hermes has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration. She is the Vice Chair of the Illinois School District Liquid Asset Fund and the Vice Chair of the Collective Liability Insurance Cooperative (CLIC), in addition to sitting on the Executive Committee of the Northern Health Insurance Cooperative. She has previously served as the President of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University Chicago. Dr. Hermes’s role at the District includes several key functions including budgeting and finance, Board relations, employee and labor relations, and the oversight of District 67 and 115 facilities, transportation, food services, technology, and early childhood programs.

Why do the proposed improvements cost so much?

The proposed improvements within the 88-year-old high school include the renovation of 130,000 square feet of the school, including approximately 54 learning spaces throughout the building (approximately 50% of the total amount of learning spaces). The scope of the proposed improvements includes:

• Strengthening safety and security, including adding a rapid-lockdown system, exterior door sensors, and partition systems to prevent full access to the high school after hours.

• Replacing major mechanical systems that are more than 30 years old, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.

• More than 90 pieces of HVAC equipment need to be replaced, including unit ventilators, rooftop air handling units, boilers, cooling towers, sump pumps, exhaust fans, and chillers

• Approximately 50 electrical panels have reached the end of their useful life

• Fire suppression sprinklers through the high school need to be extended

• Aging windows and doors would be replaced

• Updating almost every restroom in the high school

• Addressing ADA upgrades throughout the historic building

• Reconfiguring student support service spaces

• Improving acoustics and replacing outdated lighting, technology, and furniture in more than half of the instructional spaces, including all labs as well as classrooms not addressed by the previous referendum

The cost to update the high school is significantly less expensive than replacing all or parts of the building.

Why not build a brand new building instead of renovate the existing one?

It is far more cost-effective to maintain the existing building. Lake Forest High School’s East Campus is about 500,00 square feet in size. In order to build just the school building alone, without any furnishing or amenities, it would cost roughly $250M to build a brand new building.

Why not use existing tax revenues to address the proposed improvements?

The District has worked hard to maintain Lake Forest High School within its current operating budget. However, there are major capital facility investments and building updates that fall outside the scope of standard yearly maintenance projects, such as replacing outdated plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems.

Why not simply use existing savings?

District 115 carries very little in cash reserves relative to its peers. This is intentional as it was/is the Board’s desire not stockpile taxpayer money. They instead judiciously ask taxpayers to fund capital projects when needed. We have a BOE policy on fund balance that outlines a floor AND ceiling to our fund balance. Even if we were to deplete all of our current reserves, it wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed.

Draining District savings to address capital facility needs would be a mistake. These funds play an important role in the strength of our Aaa bond rating and in our ability to borrow at the lowest possible cost.

For answers to additional questions, visit the Referendum FAQ webpage.

The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.

One of the main categories of improvements is traditional classrooms including science labs. Suggested improvements include the improvement of outdated labs and bringing the last remaining classrooms to the same capabilities as those updated in 2006, including acoustics, lighting, instructional technology, furniture, and related upgrades.

Vote by Mail

You Can Now Request Your Vote by Mail Ballot. Mail in Your April 4 Election Ballot Ballot Before Spring Break!

Vote by mail application requests are now available HERE. The Lake County Clerk will start sending out vote by mail ballots on March 17 to the address you provide.

Vote by Mail applications can be requested until 5pm on March 30. Get your request in now to vote by mail and ensure your vote counts in the April 4 election

Early Voting

Early voting in Lake County begins Monday, March 20 and runs through Monday, April 3, 2023. Early voting at Lake Forest City Hall begins Monday, March 20 and runs through Saturday, April 1, 2023. For more information on early voting, visit the Office of the County Clerk, Lake County.

UPDATED INFORMATION!! REGISTRATION FOR 2023 SUMMER SCHOOL COURSES WILL OPEN ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE (REVTRAK) AT 8AM ON FRIDAY, 3/17/23.

LFHS Families and Students,

Please see our newly released Summer School Catalog for the upcoming school year. You will have several weeks to consider selections and registration will begin on Friday, March 17th on our district website. We will also share registration information on that same day in the Friday Fanscout. Registration for Summer School closes on Friday, May 26th as we need to decide, based on enrollment, which courses will run.

Please see the link to our catalog below:

2023 LFHS Summer Catalog 2023

Cursos Para La Escuela De Verano 2023

TEDxLFHS is an annual TEDxYouth event designed to highlight LFHS students, teachers, and innovative thinkers that have ideas worth spreading. This year's event takes place on Wednesday, March 15th from 10:20am-1:50pm (periods 4 and 6) in the Little Theater and features 8 student speakers, as well as live music and performances. Students can sign up to attend now by visiting tedxlfhs.com/attend before March 8th. Seats are limited, so don’t delay! We look forward to a great day of amazing conversation and ideas that inspire!

For the list of assessments, and dates, please click on the link below.

Upcoming Assessment Calendar English and Spanish

The Junior Class and the APT have been excitedly planning the "Dancing in the Moonlight" traditional Prom at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare for Saturday, May 6th since the beginning of the school year. Now it is around the corner!

Project Safe Prom officially launched last week and we need your support. Did you know the LFHS Prom is completely self-sustaining and we rely solely on ticket sales, junior class fundraising and your generosity? Your donations will help fund a truly magical experience for our LFHS students. Each ticket will remain $95 per person, which includes plated dinner, entertainment, transportation, and security. However, the actual cost to host prom far exceeds the ticket price. We are looking to our generous community to help raise $35,000 to underwrite various costs associated with this event, such as the transportation and security.

Any contribution you are able to make is tax deductible and greatly appreciated! Click the link or scan the QR code below to get started. THANK YOU!

https://lakeforest.revtrak.net/Project-Safe-Prom/

For more information on these events, please visit the FAN website.

Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships

Mar 13 2023 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Evanston Township High School Auditorium

No registration required.

NEDRA GLOVER TAWWAB, MSW, LCSW Licensed therapist, sought-after relationship expert, and New York Times bestselling author. Every family has a story. For some of us, our family of origin is a solid foundation that feeds our confidence and helps us navigate life’s challenges. For others, it’s a source of pain, hurt, and conflict that can feel like a lifelong burden. In Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships, licensed therapist and bestselling relationship expert Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW offers clear advice for identifying dysfunctional family patterns and choosing the best path to breaking the cycle and moving forward.

Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

Mar 16 2023 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

ON ZOOM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

KIERAN SETIYA, PH.D. Professor of Physiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kieran Setiya, Ph.D. is a professor of philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he works on ethics and related questions about human agency and human knowledge. He is the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide and Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way, which was selected as a Best Book of 2022 by The Economist and The New Yorker. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, the LA Review of Books, the TLS, the London Review of Books, The Atlantic, Aeon, and The Yale Review.

Psych: The Story of the Human Mind

Mar 21 2023 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

ON ZOOM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

PAUL BLOOM, PH.D. Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University.

How does the brain—a three-pound wrinkly mass—give rise to intelligence and conscious experience? Was Freud right that we are all plagued by forbidden sexual desires? What is the function of emotions such as disgust, gratitude, and shame? Renowned psychologist Paul Bloom, Ph.D. answers these questions and many more in his riveting new book Psych: The Story of the Human Mind.

Psych is an expert and passionate guide to the most intimate aspects of our nature, serving up the equivalent of a serious university course while being funny, engaging, and full of memorable anecdotes. But Psych is much more than a comprehensive overview of the field of psychology. Bloom reveals what psychology can tell us about the most pressing moral and political issues of our time—including belief in conspiracy theories, the role of genes in explaining human differences, and the nature of prejudice and hatred. Bloom also shows how psychology can give us practical insights into important issues—from the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety to the best way to lead happy and fulfilling lives.

There was a misprint in a prior communication about our Spring break dates. Our Spring break begins on Friday, March 24th through March 31st. School resumes on April 3, 2023

Looking to make some extra money or need to fill some service hours? Help support Lake Forest High School Athletics and work Concessions! Starting pay is $10 an hour. Contact Kristin O’Neil for more details at knoneil@comcast.net. Go SCOUTS!

Lake Forest High School Athletics would like to remind our Scout Fans, for all home athletic events in which a gate fee is charged tickets must be purchased via www.GoFan.co and redeemed at the gate via mobile phone. CASH IS NOT LONGER ACCEPTED .

Lake Forest Students with an Activity Pass on their ID or Booster Members DO NOT need to purchase a ticket.

You can use the following link or QR code to purchase your tickets in advance.

Lake Forest GoFan Tickets

In the coming weeks, every account belonging to a user below age 18 will automatically be set to a 60-minute daily screen time limit. If the 60-minute limit is reached, teens will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to continue watching, requiring them to make an active decision to extend that time. For kids under 13, the daily screen time limit will also be set to 60 minutes, and a parent or guardian will need to set or enter an existing passcode to enable 30 minutes of additional watch time. Other features help parents set custom time limits (including different limits for different days of the week), mute notifications and create a dashboard showing screentime.

Asa was named to the 2023 Chicago Sun Times All-Area basketball team which features the 20 best players in the Chicago area for the 2022-2023 high school basketball season.

Rachel was named an Honorable Mention to the 2022-2023 Illinois Associated Press all-state girls basketball teams which are voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

It is that time of year again for the Scouts Girls Hockey Association Spring Season registration. Please follow this registration link:

2023 Scouts Spring Season Registration Link. Our first ice slot is April 2, so please register by March 29.

Spring Details:

• Season will run from April 2 through May 28th-ish.

• Incoming Freshman are welcome!

• We will have home and away scrimmages against 5 other Metro Girls League teams.

• Our home ice slot will be Sunday evenings at 7:45pm at Lake Forest College.

• We may look to do a few extra practice slots on Thursdays at 9:15pm at Lake Forest College (to be determined).

• Price for Spring Season: $300 (minimum of 10 ice touches)

• Payment can be made via Zelle: scouts.hockey50@gmail.com or via check made out to Scouts Girls Hockey Association

• Payment must be made prior to the player’s first ice time.

Girls Scouts Hockey Flyer

The District 115 APT is currently looking for volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. If you are interested please reach out to Jane Duncan at jane.l.duncan@gmail.com

LFHS Foundation was thrilled to award twelve new grants and one standing grant in 2023. These grants represent a total of approximately $137,000 that will be invested in educational excellence at LFHS. Click below to see a highlight video of our grant day. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation and our generous community because their support makes this all possible!

Greetings from the LFHS Foundation. Next Friday, March 3rd, is Grant Day and we can’t wait to travel the halls awarding grants. We depend on the generosity and support of our community to be able to fund our investments in educational excellence at LFHS. Our deadline for Luncheon Sponsorship is quickly approaching on March 1st and the deadline for auction donations is March 17th. Forms for both can be found at http://www.lfhsfoundation.org/donors--sponsors.html. Contact information is available on the forms or connect with us at lfhsfoundation@gmail.com. We also hope you will mark your calendar to join us for this year’s luncheon at Knollwood Club featuring guest speaker, LFHS’s very own, Dr. Matt Dewar.

Our latest issue of Forest Scout Friday

3/15 - High School Meeting: St. Patrick’s Day Party! 7-8PM at CROYA!

3/17 – CROYA closed for Spring Retreat!

3/20 – CROYA closed!