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Superintendent Dr. Michael Wojtowicz kicked off the 2025-2026 school year by emphasizing Lake Park’s commitment to preparing every student for life beyond high school. In his words, the work of everyone in the school district should be “focused on ensuring each student is equipped not just with knowledge, but with the skills, mindsets, and experiences they need to thrive in a world that is constantly evolving.” At the heart of this work is every staff member’s focus on Lancer-Centric Learning, which means that every decision, every lesson, and every program is designed to meet the needs of each individual Lancer.
This month, the Spotlight edition highlights the District’s Lancer-Centric Focus and some of the ways the school community has enhanced our system to focus on meeting the needs of individual students.
Academic and Curriculum Enhancements
Course-Level Consolidation
Last January, we shared information with families and students about plans to consolidate the “regular” and “advanced” course levels into a refined “core” academic level, which now exists alongside the established “honors/advanced placement” level in English, science and social studies. This change streamlined our offerings, acknowledged the existing similarities between the old "regular" and "advanced" levels, and helped us codify the practice of ensuring all students have access to the same academic program. As part of the consolidation, Lake Park reduced the average class size, which has improved teachers’ ability to meet the needs of every student and ensure all students have access to appropriate rigor.
Career and College Curriculum and Exposure
In addition to expanding career and college opportunities for West Campus students by creating a dedicated Career & College Counselor and center for students preparing for life after high school, last year, the District implemented a second dedicated Career & College Counselor and center for East Campus students to begin career exploration and preliminary post-secondary planning. Using a structured curriculum, these counselors, along with the entire counseling staff and extended Student Services Team (SST) focus on individual student interests and needs to help students chart a path that meets their unique interests and needs as they matriculate through Lake Park in preparation for the real world.
Career and College Pathways
The District continues to review and refine course offerings to align with the Illinois College and Career Pathway Endorsements (CPPE) Framework. This year, Lake Park is proud to offer 7 approved pathway endorsements including:
- Business Management & Administration
- Cosmetology
- Education & Training
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Nursing Assistant
Not only do students who complete these pathways explore careers, like all Lake Park students, but they also earn college credit, and develop real-world, industry-specific skills and qualifications.
Systems and Communication
Data Systems
Over the past several years, the District has implemented three data-driven systems designed to help staff understand and meet students' learning, emotional, and behavioral needs, with the explicit goal to foster improved learning and postsecondary readiness. Creating, implementing, and refining systems such as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Cycles of Inquiry, and Learning Review Cycles guide staff members in collecting and analyzing individualized student data to make decisions about how to tailor learning to each student.
Communication
This school year, the District implemented ParentSquare, a new communication platform designed to improve school-to-home messaging. Families will receive school and classroom messages in one place and translated into their preferred language—whether by email, text, app, or web. In addition, Lake Park implemented “Any Family, Any Day” – a new parent-staff outreach program designed to strengthen the connection between those closest to our student learning in the building and those closest to our students at home. This communication is designed to recognize areas of student success and celebrate them, while also working together to support students in areas where they need extra help.
While this only features a few examples to help demonstrate our commitment to Lancer-Centric Learning, this focus underscores all of our work as a school community. As the school year progresses, we will continuously refine our processes to support individual student learning and success, expand on the programs identified here, and showcase other programs and initiatives through the LP Link Spotlight.
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