Dear LTHS Parents/Guardians & Students ,


It is hard to believe that Friday is October 30 and that we have just over four weeks until Thanksgiving break and eight weeks left in the semester. We look forward to Parent/Teacher Conferences this week and the opportunity for teachers/counselors to connect with so many LT families.  


I would like to share some notes of congratulations for recent accomplishments within the arts and activities.

  • Congratulations to Director Mike Kuehl and the cast and crew of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown! It was such a fantastic show!
  • I would like to offer congratulations to Chris Thomas and the students and staff of WLTL on a great showing at John Drury High School Radio Awards ceremony this weekend! The John Drury Awards recognize excellence in high school radio broadcasting. WLTL came away with several honors for their exceptional work during the 2025-2026 school year. 
  • Best Website: 3rd Place WLTL Radio Management Class, 2025-2026
  • Best Social Media: 4th Place Lucie Greffenstette ‘26, Mary Kemnitz ‘26 and MaryClair McManus ‘27
  • Best Use of Video: 3rd Place Andrew Gallardo ‘26, Charlie Plewa ‘26 and Charley Curin ‘26
  • Best Newscast: 2nd Place AJ Connelly ‘26
  • Best PSA: 2nd Place AJ Connelly ‘26
  • Best Sports Play-By-Play: 2nd Place Joe Ratcliffe ‘26 and Alec Mulvenna ‘26
  • Best Sportscast: 3rd place Joe Ratcliffe ‘26
  • Best Radio Drama: 4th place AJ Connelly ‘26
  • Best Podcast: 1st Place Emmet Gripp ‘26, Zoe Connelly ‘27, Carter Yates ‘27 and Charlie Plewa ‘26
  • Best DJ: 2nd Place Charlie Plewa ‘26
  • Best Talk Show: 2nd Place Emmet Gripp ‘26 and Mia Guzman ‘26
  • Best Specialty Music Show: 2nd Place Andrew Gallardo ‘26, Charlie Plewa ‘26 and Charley Curin ‘26
  • Broadcaster of the Year Finalists: Joe Ratcliffe ‘26, AJ Connelly ‘26, and Vander Prinz ‘27
  • Student Leader of the Year Finalists: Zoe Connelly ‘27 and Jed Huang ‘27
  • Advisor of the Year: Mike Baker
  • WLTL was also a finalist for Best Station in the Nation once again this year!
  • Congratulations to the Chess Team on finishing 9th at the Andrew Tournament! The team went 2-2 with losses coming against top teams in the state. Ronny Bao (won 4 games) and Evan Simpson (won 3 and a draw) were medal winners for the Lions. Additionally, the following members of the team had wins: Daniel Blanka (2 wins), Emmet Conry (3 wins), George Karam (3 wins), Ian Connelly (1 win), Will Voigt (2 wins), and Ali Abdallah (won his first official match).
  • Congratulations to the Debate Team on finishing in 5th place at the Wheeling HS Tournament. Lucy Baranowski, Aidan McBride, Abby Kovacs, Stella Krueger, Alma Selimi, and Nathaniel Bubaris were all recognized with speaking awards.
  • Congratulations to Robotics on a great sowing at the Lake Park High School VEX V5 Robotics Competition. 
  • Qualification & Elimination Matches Summary
  • 23880A (Aftermath): Finished 12th in rankings with a 4-2-0 qualification record. Advanced to the Round of 16 in an alliance with 23880F.
  • 23880D (BYTE ME): Finished 18th in rankings with a 3-3-0 qualification record. Advanced to the Round of 16 paired with team 23545A.
  • 23880F (5.25" Floppy Disk): Finished 26th in rankings with a 3-3-0 qualification record. Advanced to the Round of 16 in an alliance with 23880A.
  • 23880G (Gear Goblins): Finished 37th in rankings with a 1-5-0 qualification record. Advanced to the Round of 16 paired with team 4454B.
  • Robot Skills Standings Summary
  • 23880F: Led the organization in the Skills Challenge, taking 5th place overall with a top combined score of 61 (48 Driver / 13 Programming).
  • 23880A: Secured 7th place overall with a total score of 41 (33 Driver / 8 Programming).
  • 23880D: Placed 20th overall with a score of 8 (8 Driver / 0 Programming).
  • Congratulations to the Cyber Patriots for finishing in 11th place out of 27 teams in the 1st round of competition that they completed on Friday.   


I would also like to share some notes of athletics congratulations as well as upcoming post-season schedules. It is post-season playoff time for LT Athletics:

  • Congratulations to Head Coach Clint Buetikofer and the Girls Tennis Team on finishing in 5th place and earning the second top-10 finish of the year for LT Athletics. Jessie Janiak placed in 5th place in singles. Elise Novey and Chloe Owens finished in the top 12 in doubles. Abby Sullivan finished her LT Tennis career with All-State Recognition. Sophia Dalgety and Lucy Fletcher also earned team points in doubles.
  • Congratulations to Head Coach Jon Beutjer and our LT Football coaches and players on capturing the playoff win over Metea Valley 36-14. The Lions will play Perspectives (away) on Friday, October 30 at 5pm. Please note that all attendees must purchase tickets.   
  • Congratulations to Head Coach Paul Labbato and our Boys Soccer players and coaches on winning the IHSA Regional Championship on Saturday as they defeated OPRF 2-0. They now advance to the IHSA Sectional this week. They play St. Ignatius on Tuesday at 4:30pm at Reavis and then at 5:00pm Friday in the Sectional Final. 
  • Congratulations to Head Coach Brendan Weibel and members of our Swimming and Diving Team on finishing in second place at the WSC Conference Meet on Friday. They will compete in the IHSA Sectional on Saturday, November 7.  
  • On Saturday, the Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams ran in the IHSA Regional Cross Country Races. Congratulations to Head Coach Mike Danner and our Boys Cross Country team on finishing 3rd. Brennan Monohan took 4th place, Benjamin Radtke took 9th place, and Henry James took 15th place. Congratulations to Head Coach Joe Pontrelli and our Girls Cross Country Team on finishing 6th. Congratulations to Naome O'Hare on finishing in 16th place to lead LT. Both teams advanced to compete in this weekend’s IHSA Sectional at LT.  
  • On Saturday, three members of the LTHS Girls Volleyball hit individual career milestones. Congratulations to Colleen Chambers on earning 2,000 career assists, Taylor Carroll on hitting the mark of 1,000 career kills, and Julia Ahrens on earning 750 career digs. Also, please enjoy the Spotlight of Taylor Carroll which is part of our Excellence, Innovation and Empowerment series! She is an incredible student and has truly embraced her LT experience while making a significant impact within our volleyball program. Congratulations to Taylor and the entire volleyball team for becoming WSC Silver Conference Champs and good luck in the Regional run. Girls Volleyball will participate in the IHSA Regional at Oak Lawn this week on Tuesday (6pm vs. Richards) and Thursday (6pm Regional Final). 

Upcoming Events 

  • Friday, October 23-Thursday, October 29: Red Ribbon Week at LTHS
  • Monday, October 26-Thursday, October 29: College Application Week
  • Monday, October 26: Signs of Suicide Screener for Sophomores 
  • Tuesday, October 27: YH4L Cardiac Screening at South Campus  
  • Tuesday, October 27: Boys Soccer Sectional Semifinal vs. St. Ignatius at 4:30pm at Reavis 
  • Tuesday, October 27: Girls Volleyball Regional Semifinal vs. Richards at 6:00pm
  • Tuesday, October 27: Choir Concert at 7:30pm in the North Campus Reber Center 
  • Wednesday, October 28: Community Fall Fest / Trunk-or-Treat from 5-6:30 at the South Campus Driver Ed Lot
  • LTHS Student Council would like to invite the whole community to its inaugural Fall Fest and Trunk or Treat Event. More than 20 different clubs and activities will host trick-or-treating and carnival games, and some of our talented performance groups will be putting on a show. Food trucks will be in attendance, and lively fall decor will provide some great photo-ops to start the fall season! Come out to the Drivers Ed Parking Lot at South Campus (near the water tower and Bennett Field) from 5:00-6:30. Entry is free for all. 
  • Wednesday, October 28: Monster Bash presented by LTHS Choir at the SC Corral 
  • Thursday, October 29: Fall Parent Teacher Conferences (Virtual by sign up only)
  • Thursday, October 29: Girls Volleyball Regional Final at 6:00pm
  • Friday, October 30: Non Attendance Day
  • Friday, October 30: Boys Soccer Sectional Final at Reavis at 5:00pm 
  • Friday, October 30: Football plays Perspectives in the Playoffs away at 5:00pm
  • Saturday, October 31: Boys and Girls Cross Country run in the IHSA Sectional at LT 


School Day Schedule for Thursday, October 29, 2026

Juniors: Students will take the PSAT/NMSQT on Thursday, October 29. The school day will start at 7:45am for juniors. The test is scheduled to end at approximately 11am and students will be dismissed following testing. Students with extended time should be dismissed at approximately 12:30pm. Bus transportation will be provided for those who qualify and take the bus home from school.  


Seniors: There will be no school for seniors on October 29 as NC classrooms will be utilized for testing.


Sophomore/Freshman: South Campus students will be dismissed at 3:05pm and follow a regular school day bell schedule.


Red Ribbon Week

LT celebrates Red Ribbon Week October 23-29. Red Ribbon Week is a part of the National Red Ribbon Campaign which is sponsored by The National Family Partnership, NFP. The mission of NFP is to lead and support our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy and drug-free youth.


Throughout this week, the LT community will be promoting drug awareness by celebrating Red Ribbon Week. The theme for 2026 is “Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Stay Drug Free.” The goal of this week is to raise awareness about Red Ribbon Week and the harmful effects of drugs and illegal substances and focus on positive healthy choices.   


The Student Services Division has sent additional communication that includes details of the theme week.


College and Career Center Update


CLASS OF 2027: This week, the LT College and Career Center will be hosting College Application Week, from October 26-29! CCC staff will be on hand all week long to assist with applications and Schoolinks. Students may come into the CCC during Lunch/Study, an unscheduled period, before/after school or when sent with a pass from a teacher. Please note: Mr. Dailey will not be taking 1 on 1 appointments during this week so that he can be available to assist any student who walks-in for support. The week also includes Application Office Hours (on Monday), Scholarship Club Kickoff (on Tuesday), Essaypalooza 2.0 (on Wednesday) and College App Spooky Sendoff virtual support (Thursday evening during PTC). Students must sign up in Schoolinks under Events for those programs.

 

Halloween Costume/Dress Up 

With Halloween approaching, I wanted to take the opportunity to share this with parents/guardians and students.

AP Test Registration

Advanced Placement (AP) exam fees have been applied to all students enrolled in a Fall AP class through Infinite Campus. Each exam costs $99.



Registering for AP exams is a two step process. Both steps must be completed by November 1, 2026 at 11:59pm for FALL AP courses. 

  1. Enroll in the AP class online and enter the course code provided by the teacher. Many students have already completed this step in class with their teacher.
  2. Pay for the exam through Infinite Campus - look for the fee section.


AP Exam fees paid after the deadline will incur a late ordering fee of $40. No exams can be ordered after March 1, 2027.


If your student does not wish to take the AP exam, please cancel their registration using this google form. Students who pay for an exam and later decide to cancel will be issued a partial refund for the exam up until March 1, 2027. No refunds will be given after March 1, 2027. 


More detailed directions on registering for 2027 AP Exams can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact the assessment office via email at ldekruiff@lths.net.


LTHS Partners With ParentSquare

We are excited to announce that we have adopted a new form of school-to-home communication at Lyons Township High School called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection within the school community. Last week, you should have received a notification inviting you to register. You’re able to set language and preferences on when and how you are notified.  If you have not registered yet, we encourage you to download the free mobile app.  Learn more on our website. 


2027–2028 School Year Calendar Approved

The Board of Education approved the 2027–2028 School Year Calendar at its October 19 Regular Action Meeting.


A first reading of the proposed calendar was presented at the September 8 Committee of the Whole meeting, followed by a month-long period for community review and feedback. After this review period, the calendar was brought back to the Board for final approval.


Key dates for the 2026–2027 school year include:

  • First Day of School: August 16, 2027
  • Last Day of 1st Semester: December 17, 2027 
  • First Day of 2nd Semester: January 4, 2028
  • Last Day of 2nd Semester (Grades 9–11): May 26, 2028


Winter Sports Registration 

Winter sports registration is now open on our Athletics Webpage.  All students wishing to participate in athletics must have a current physical on file and complete the athletic online registration on the team’s page. The Athletic Department requires each participant to complete the online registration for each sport season. This ensures the safety of the athlete, and also updates the athletic eligibility files. Questions regarding tryouts should be directed to head coaches; general questions about LTHS Athletics should be directed to John Grundke, Athletic Director. 


Message from the Health Offices’ PE Restrictions - Winter Sports Tryouts - Sports Physical Reminder

Even though we are in the first weeks of fall, LT’s winter sports are around the corner! Please make sure your sports physical is on file in the health office before tryouts.


Instructions on how to check your sports physical date in Infinite Campus can be found here.  If you have a PE restriction, make sure this is cleared or updated in order to participate. All medical forms can be submitted to healthservices@lths.net.


Legacy Guild Bereavement Group for Widowed Parents

The Legacy Guild is offering a supportive bereavement group for widowed parents residing within the LTHS district. Led by a scholar parent and certified grief educator, the group provides a safe space to discuss solo parenting, self-care, coping strategies, and building a support network.

The 6-week session begins on Wednesday, October 28th. For additional details and registration information, please view the Grief Group Flyer.


Have a great week!


Jen Tyrrell

Principal

For an archive of all previous Messages from the Principal, Superintendent and District, click the icon.

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100 S. Brainard Ave.
La Grange, IL 60525
(708) 579-6300
 
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