Career Exploration with Industry Professionals

East Campus to host inaugural Career Fair on March 16 with nearly 70 reps.

New this year, all 9th and 10th grade students will have the opportunity to explore career options and engage in conversations with industry professionals when they participate in the East Campus Career Fair on Monday, March 16. Providing a valuable learning opportunity to consider postsecondary options for life after high school, students will attend the expo in the gymnasium during their Kinetic Wellness, Driver Education or Health courses within the regular school day.

The Career Fair boasts nearly 50 organizations with approximately 70 professionals each representing one of the seven Illinois Career Pathways, Lancers will spend the entire period researching careers by visiting tables and connecting with professionals. They will be encouraged to meet up to six professionals, ask questions, and record what they learn in their dedicated Career Fair guide. Students will log this experience in SchooLinks as a Career Development Experience. 

The purpose of this event is to provide interactive and engaging learning experiences to deepen students’ understanding of the diverse career paths and opportunities available in our community. Furthermore, meeting face-to-face with professionals helps students to understand the kind of education and training needed to enter a career pathway and opportunities within each industry.

Winter Athletics Recognition

Celebrating Lancer student-athletes, coaches for end-of-season achievements.

Congratulations to Boys Swimming Matthew Karasek (12), who achieved a rare career feat by becoming a 4-Time IHSA State Qualifier at the St. Charles East Sectional meet on Saturday, February 21.

Matthew captured the Sectional Title in the 100 Free and Runner Up honors in the 100 Back, qualifying for state, and setting new all-time program records in both events! He also established a program record in the 50 Free while leading off the 200 Free relay, giving him three program records in one meet! 

Matthew delivered a standout performance at the IHSA Swimming & Diving State meet at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont. After navigating Friday, February 27 prelims, he advanced in the Saturday, February 28 finals to take 6th place in both the 100 Free and 100 Back. Highlighting his weekend was a personal best of 48.95 in the 100 Free.

The boy's swimming team is led by Head Coach Bennet Witteveen, Assistant Coach and Lancer for Life Tim Layer, and Assistant Coach Carl Metzke.

Congratulations to the Girls Gymnastics team, who wrapped up their historic 2025-2026 season finishing in 4th place at the IHSA State Meet at Palatine High School. This marks the 2nd-highest team finish in program history, along with the 2024 4th-place team, and only behind the 1991 3rd-place team. The team enjoyed one of the most successful overall seasons in program history, winning the DuKane Conference and IHSA Regional team titles and capturing a first-ever IHSA Sectional team championship.

In recognition of their great season at both the conference and State levels, two members of the coaching staff and a freshman gymnast were recognized by the Illinois High School Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association (IHSGGCA) during the end-of-year awards presented at the IHSA State finals. Head Coach Jake Luketin was named the IHSGGCA Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach Rachel Fischer was honored as IHSGGCA Assistant Coach of the Year, and freshman gymnast Annabella Suchan brought home IHSGGCA Rookie of the Year honors! Congratulations to the gymnasts and the coaching staff on a highly successful year!

Music Department Trips

Celebrating unforgettable Disney performances.

The Lake Park High School Choral Program brought a talented cohort of 44 singers, supported by four chaperones and their director, Sam Baker, for an unforgettable trip to Orlando that blended musical growth with memorable experiences in the Disney parks from February 26-March 2. A highlight was participating in the “Soundtrack Sessions: Vocal Workshop" at EPCOT, where students worked with a Disney clinician to refine their performance skills and recorded music in a professional setting, gaining valuable insight into vocal technique and ensemble artistry. The excitement continued with their live performance at the Waterside Stage in Disney Springs, where students showcased their hard work for a public audience in a truly special venue. These performance opportunities, combined with time spent together in the parks, created lasting memories and strengthened both musicianship and camaraderie within the group.

The Lake Park High School Band traveled to Los Angeles from February 25-March 1 for a performance tour that combined musical growth with meaningful cultural experiences for 65 students, 7 chaperones, and their director, Michael Lehman. During the trip, the Tour Band performed at Disneyland and participated in a university clinic at UCLA with Director of Bands Travis Cross. The Jazz Ensemble also performed at Universal Studios Hollywood. Students explored Santa Monica and Hollywood and enjoyed time at Disneyland and Universal Studios, making the tour both educational and memorable.

Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge

Business students take first place; West Campus team advances to Regionals.

Congratulations to the Lake Park students who competed in the Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge at Zurich Insurance Headquarters on Wednesday, February 25. Led by Business Education teacher Patryk Pliszka, two teams of four represented the Lancers in a high-pressure, 60-minute simulation where each minute represented a full day of trading.

Lake Park's West Campus team— Juniors Logan Bach, Henry (Hank) Fritz, Zach Kane, and Stalen Mathew—took 1st Place out of the entire field! Starting with $500,000, they grew their portfolio to an impressive $779,857.86. They now advance to the Regional Competition at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on Friday, April 24, with their sights set on the National Finals in Boston.

Lake Park's East Campus team— freshmen Gracin Lissuzzo, Kacper Kaminski, Nicholas Karasek, and Bernard Venckus—also performed exceptionally well, finishing in 5th Place with a final portfolio of $534,262.41.

To succeed, these students had to apply critical thinking and real-time risk management to navigate breaking news and market trends. Best of luck to our West Campus team as they prepare for Regionals!

Lancer Period Bell Schedule

Preview content for the March lesson ahead of spring testing.

While maintaining the same start and end times for each campus, Lake Park designed a Lancer Period Bell Schedule to allocate 38 minutes for whole-school programming that falls outside the traditional curriculum. The Lancer Period is scheduled approximately once per month on Thursdays. All students and staff are assigned to a designated classroom for the Lancer Period to ensure whole-school participation in each activity.

During this month’s Lancer Period on Thursday, March 12, teachers will deliver a lesson entitled, "Preparing for High Stakes Testing with Confidence, Persistence, and Resilience." This topic will help students be able to define self-confidence, persistence, and resilience. They will reflect on their own thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes toward high-stakes testing. Furthermore, they will analyze ways to improve their chances of achieving desired outcomes.

Night at the Theatre

IHSA Drama Sectional competition begins.

Please join the Lake Park Theatre Department for an exciting Night at the Theatre at East Campus on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. The Lake Park IHSA Drama Teams will present The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza for Group Interpretation and Antigone Now for Contest Play. The first performance begins in room 226. Admission is free!

The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza by Don Zolidis pits two narrators against each other in covering the entirety of Greek myth in a fast-paced, semi-chaotic omnibus of silly storytelling. Lake Park’s 2026 IHSA Contest Drama Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper applies modern language to the classic Sophocles Greek tragedy. Emphasizing the durability of familial ties, it demonstrates the timelessness and importance of core human values.

Lake Park's Film Appreciation Society

Free screening of the 1955 movie The Ladykillers.

Lake Park High School's Film Appreciation Society announces its "Classic Heist" selection for the season: The Ladykillers. The free event will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at 6:00 p.m. in the West Campus auditorium. Run time for the film is 1 hour, 31 minutes. 

The 1955 Alexander Mackendrick dark comedy stars Alec Guiness, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, and Cecil Parker as a motley crew of would-be bank robbers who rent rooms from Mrs. Wilberforce, an octogenarian widow who lives on a quiet cul-de-sac, under the pretext that they are classical musicians. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and at one point the gang of thieves must decide just what to do about poor Mrs. Wilberforce. This fine example of British comedic cinema will leave the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter.  

Community film buffs are invited to attend the cinematic presentation and stay for an in-depth panel discussion regarding the background and history of the featured film. Patrons will also be able to preview and vote for the final Film Appreciation Society presentation this school year. 

Don't forget to cast your predictions for the winners in eight categories at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony. Ballots must be submitted by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 15.

Illinois 5Essentials Survey Reminder

Your voice matters: Lancer families can provide feedback until March 13.

The Illinois 5Essentials School Survey is now open for parents. 5Essentials rates how a school is performing in areas such as leadership, collaboration, family involvement, support, and instruction. Results from the survey will be used by both the school and District to help guide our efforts. 

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will only provide a parent report if at least 20% of Lancer families participate by completing the entire survey–as of this week, only 4% of parents have responded. We value your voice, so please take a few minutes to let us know how Lake Park is doing! The parent survey window closes on Friday, March 13.

Community Connection

Celebrating Lancers who have recently received hometown recognition.

Scholarship Applications Due March 9

Don't miss the final chance to apply for scholarships totaling over $68,000.

Graduating seniors have a final opportunity to apply for over 40 Lake Park Educational Foundation scholarships, representing more than $68,000 in available funding for the Class of 2026. While the online application window via Going Merry has now officially closed, we are offering one last opportunity for students to submit their applications. 

There are over 20 unique scholarship scholarships with varied criteria based on activities, athletics, academics, career focus, financial need, and more. To ensure every student has a chance to be considered for these scholarships, applications will be accepted through Monday, March 9. 

Please visit www.lphs.org/LPEFscholarships to view all scholarship information and review the specific criteria for each award.