LFA: No. 1 in IL!

The newest rankings from Niche are in: Lake Forest Academy now ranks as the No. 1 Best Private High School in Illinois and the No. 13 Best Boarding High School in the country! The Academy improved its ranking from last year, moving from 18th to 13th place among American boarding schools.

To learn more about Niche’s Best Schools 2024, and LFA’s rankings in other categories: https://bit.ly/3LCqghJ

Reunion 2023

The Academy welcomed alumni and friends back to campus last weekend for the annual Reunion celebration. The event opened on Friday with Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction honorees Ursula Bailey ’83 and Sandy Pope ’73 speaking to the school community at an all-school meeting and in the classroom at LFA. That evening, the Class of 1973 celebrated its 50th reunion with a reception at Wood House (Head of School residence on campus) and a dinner in Reid Hall.

On Saturday, a full day of events included a Multicultural Dialogue, Ferry Hall Open House, an inaugural Multicultural Connections event with students and alumni, tours, pumpkin carving, hayrides, and a picnic lunch in the Formal Gardens.

The Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction inductees were honored on Saturday evening in the Great Hall of Reid with a special ceremony. The evening concluded with dinner and class photos.

Congratulations to this year's Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction honorees Dr. Jeff Ackman ’73 (Service to Society), Ursula Bailey ’83 (Service to Society), Rodger Owen ’68 (Achievement in the Arts), and Sandy Pope ’73 (Woman of Distinction).

See photos from the weekend here. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the celebration!

above: Hall of Fame and Woman of Distinction honorees with Head of School Chris Tennyson P'27. l to r: Dr. Jeff Ackman ’73, Tennyson, Ursula Bailey ’83, Sandy Pope '73, Rodger Owen ’68



below: The class of 1973 celebrates with a special dinner in Reid Hall on Friday night.

Ferry Hall Day

On Sept. 22, we celebrated the 154th anniversary of the opening of Ferry Hall, the girls school that united with LFA in 1974. The school community wore yellow and white, Ferry Hall colors, and enjoyed cookies and cake pops in the JC Cowart Student Center during the lunch periods. The Archives Club presented a slideshow of images during morning meeting. Happy Ferry Hall Day!

caption: Ferry Hall Prefect Gabi '24 poses at the Ferry Hall sign on campus with Head of School Chris Tennyson P'27

Young Alumni Lunch: Jan. 10

Alumni in the classes of 2019-2023, please save Wed., Jan. 10, 2024, on your calendars for the annual Young Alumni Lunch on campus! Watch your email for more details in the coming months.

College Dinner Series

The 10th year of College Dinner Series kicked off at the University of Notre Dame on Sept. 26, followed by Purdue University and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. These gatherings help LFA stay connected to its college Caxys. Thanks, everyone, for joining in! View photos here.

Next up: UW Madison: Oct. 24, Northwestern University: October 26, Boston-area colleges: November 13 and 16, Indiana University: November 17

Pull up a chair – be a part of the College Dinner Series! Make a gift of $15 or more; keep our Caxy connections strong. Give online at give.lfanet.org/collegedinner

caption for photo above: Nick Alutto ’21, Head of School Chris Tennyson P’27, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement & Philanthropy Ruth Keyso, and Helenna Xu ’20

Alumni Events: Boston

Alumni, check your email for details about upcoming gatherings in Boston with Head of School Chris Tennyson.

Young alumni, join us for a happy hour on Nov. 14. Register here (21 years old and older only). Registration required. A guest is welcome.

College students: watch your email and text for details about dinners.

Questions? Contact Ruth Keyso (cell: 847.224.6072)

Year End and Tax Info

The end of the year is quickly approaching, which means a very special season will be here soon—that’s right, tax season! There are important changes for the 2023 tax year that you will want to know about. They include changes to income tax brackets, income thresholds for determining rates for capital gains, and standard deduction amounts among others. Knowing this information can help you make smart and beneficial decisions if you make charitable contributions at year’s end. It can also be important when putting together an estate plan, something every family should have.

For more information on key tax changes for 2023, check out this article from Kiplinger.com. For information on how to make tax wise charitable contributions, visit lfa.givingplan.net.

Calling All Caxy Sports Fans!

Want to follow your favorite LFA sports teams? Visit lfaathletics.org. The site includes schedules, rosters, photos, and recaps of athletic events. Set up a fan account to get news about specific teams. You can order Caxy gear through the site as well. Go, Caxys!

Class Notes and Death Notices

We plan to run class notes and death notices in the alumni enews as well as in the Review. Please click here to read recent submissions. Send your career/family updates and photos to classnotes@lfanet.org

Contact Info Updates

If you have recently moved, changed jobs or have a new email address or cell number, please let us know so that we can update our database. Send your data to updates@lfanet.org