Highlights

AUGUST 2006 Vol. 30, No.1

Lake Park High School continues to make strides in test scores, with the Class of 2006 scoring a composite 21.9 on the ACT, .3 higher than 2005. The score is tied for the best score since the district began testing all students five years ago as part of the state-mandated Prairie State Achievement Exam.

The score is 1.4 higher than the state average and .8 above the national average, ACT figures shows.

“This is good news from ACT and reflects the quality education students are receiving at Lake Park ,” Superintendent John Butts said.

Students enrolled in the college-prep curriculum scored a composite 23.5, .5 higher than the previous year, and nearly 1 point higher than five years ago.

“The results demonstrate that our efforts to align curriculum to state standards are paying off,” said Lynne Panega, associate superintendent for curriculum. “We continue to urge our students to enroll in the core curriculum for continued success in college and beyond.”& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; lt; /span>

The core curriculum includes three years of math, including advanced algebra, three years of science, three years of social studies, and four years of English.

All students take the ACT as part of the PSAE when they are juniors. It is intended to measure their college readiness in English, math, reading and science. The biggest gain by subject was in English, which increased .6 to 21.8. All subjects gained, with the exception of math, which slipped just .1. The district should start seeing results of a new math initiative and increased math graduation requirements in the class of 2009, which is designed to get more students experience in algebra and geometry before they take the ACT.

News from the College Board on Advanced Placement scores also shows students who take college level courses are successful. Students who are enrolled in any of the 14 AP classes take an exam at the end of the year and if they earn a score of 3 or better they are eligible for college credit. In 2006, more tests were taken by Lake Park students, 491 exams compared to 460 in 2005, and 81 percent of the tests received a score of 3 or better compared to 80 percent in 2005.

One hundred percent of students who took AP Government and Politics received a 3 or better, and 97 percent of AP Psychology students scored 3 or better.

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A new Wellness Policy was adopted by the Board of Education at its Aug. 28 meeting, and most of the initiatives of the policy are already in place or on their way.

In the wake of childhood obesity epidemic, the Illinois State Board of Education required all schools to adopt a policy to weave nutrition education and physical activity into the school day and healthy choices into the cafeteria food lines. At Lake Park, the physical education department is a leader in the state in teaching fitness and nutrition, as illustrated in the third consecutive Blue Ribbon Award from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Students learn not just to play basketball or lift weights, but the proper way to work out, how to stretch, use a heart monitor and how to adapt an active, healthy lifestyle.

“The wellness policy is just another cog in the wheel in terms of helping students learn about healthy nutritional choices and practicing effective strategies for changing dietary behaviors,” said Wellness Committee member and P.E. teacher Deb Vogel.

Sodexho Cafeteria Manager Jill King began sampling healthier snacks with the West Campus marketing students two years ago; she launched breakfast service and a brown bag service for athletes after school. While students can still buy French fries and pizza, they also have an “offering bar” of fruits and vegetables and sandwiches prepared on whole grain breads.

“By changing available selections in the cafeteria, we are actively showing students, and the community, that we care about their health and well-being.  Students will choose to eat and drink what is available so, by limiting their choices to more healthy options, we will ultimately be improving their diets,” Vogel said.

New vitamin waters are offered, and the pop machines only carry diet soda. Fried snacks and chips have been replaced with baked products; candy offerings in the vending machines have been reduced by 50 percent and replaced with more nutritious snacks. Even the hamburgers are healthier, with 28 percent fewer calories and 23 percent less fat. The original pizza puff has been replaced with a baked pizza pocket. Snack cakes have been replaced with a variety of ice cream offerings.

A display board will outline the nutritional data for the choices students make.

“As a nurse I do daily counseling with students to address their nutritional needs within the scope of their physical conditions.  These healthier options make it possible for us to recommend actual healthy food choices that they can purchase here at school,” said West Campus nurse Lucy Brinka, who also helped draft the wellness policy.

 

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Student enrollment at Lake Park High School outpaced projections this school year and reached a 20-year high.

The sixth-day enrollment count, which is filed with the Illinois State Board of Education, shows 25 more students attend Lake Park than last year, and 18 students more than the district predicted. While development in District 108 is nearly land-locked, there is a lot of knock-down activity and young families replacing empty-nesters in some areas of the district.

The sixth-day figures showed 740 students in the class of 2010, and 799 in the class of 2009, for a total population at East Campus of 1,539. The class of 2009, who are now sophomores, grew by 21 students from the end of last year, and 38 from the sixth-day count last year.

West Campus has a student population of 1,480, with 728 students enrolled in the class of 2007, the largest class in 20 years. The student population has been slowly growing since 1999-2000 when the sixth-day count was 2,770. There was also growth in student population from 1993-94 to 1998-99, from 2,600 to 2,800.

“We are seeing many more move-ins throughout the first semester than in the past,” said East Campus Principal Dr. Edward Wardzala.

The figures prove the predictions made when the addition and renovation projects were first proposed in 2001 that the school was overcrowded and more students were on the way. The district has added the equivalent of one full-time position over last year to accommodate students. The teaching time is spread among the subjects to add sections where needed to part-time positions.

 

More students need to take advantage of a summer program aimed at improving their reading and math skills.

The district expanded last year’s summer math program to include reading this year. The goal of the program is to provide additional support for lower achieving students and to provide students the opportunity to test out of reading and/or be up-tracked to single period algebra.

Of the students who took advantage of the summer program, 34 percent were able to place out of the remedial reading class and 39 percent were able to advance in math in the fall.

East Campus Principal Edward Wardzala said though the program was offered to 143 students, only 44 percent chose to participate.

“We’re moving in the right direction, we just want to get more kids involved,” Dr. Wardzala said. The district may consider requiring students identified as achieving below grade level to enroll in the program.

As part of the district’s School Improvement Plan, the program is one strategy to improve test scores on the Prairie State Achievement Exam, where all juniors are tested on algebra and geometry skills as well as reading.

 

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New teachers were introduced to the Board of Education at its regular meeting Aug. 28,

The new teachers, regardless of experience, started school a week early. They spent three days in training on teaching and learning strategies for reading comprehension and note-taking skills, followed by a two-day orientation, which included technology inservice, expectations, discipline procedures, a bus tour of the district and work with their mentors.

Each teacher is paired with a mentor who will support them for two years with one-on-one meetings to review lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and general assistance. Jeanne Hammacher, teacher mentor coordinator, said the mentors will observe the new teachers in their classrooms four times the first year and two times the second year to provide feedback and tips. New teachers also have after-school group meetings throughout the year with the principals.

“Our new teachers have many gifts, talents and tools of the trade that they bring to their jobs at Lake Park,” said M. Margaret Eskey, Executive Director for Human Resources, as she introduced the new staff to board members. New teachers are:

 

Adam Akin is teaching English. He has taught at Community High School District 94 in West Chicago and Driscoll Catholic High School. He was a student teacher at Downers Grove North High School and has a master’s degree in English.

 

Aimee Allison is the new librarian at West Campus. She has worked at Elmhurst District 205, Barrington District 220, and was a teacher at Medinah Middle School. She has two master’s degrees, one in library science and one in educational administration.

 

Lyndsey Binneboese is teaching special education. She was a student teacher at Warren Township High School in Gurnee and at an elementary school in Kenosha, Wis. She also worked at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. She received her bachelor’s degree in special education at Carthage College.

 

Gilbert Dekelaita is teaching special education. He comes to Lake Park from Carl Sandburg Junior High in Rolling Meadows. He also taught at Round Lake High School and did his student teaching at Glenbrook High School. He has a master’s degree in special education from National Louis University.

 

Jillian Forestiere is teaching science. She was a student teacher at Wheeling High School and a teaching assistant at University of Illinois-Champaign, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

 

Philip Groark is teaching special education. He was a student teacher at Maine West High School and Park View Elementary. He has a master’s degree from Roosevelt University.

 

Thomas Kaberna is teaching math. He has been an assistant football coach at Lake Park for two years and also worked as a substitute teacher here. He did his student teaching at Streamwood High School and earned his certification and master’s degree from Roosevelt University.

 

Daniel Lobraco is teaching art. He comes to Lake Park from Addison Trail High School. He earned a master’s degree in art education from Northern Illinois University.

 

Kyle Monestero is teaching social studies part-time. He was a student teacher here at Lake Park and earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Elmhurst College.

 

Laura McGovern is teaching Spanish. She was a long-term substitute teacher at Lake Park last year and also worked here as a fitness center aide. She holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from National Louis University.

 

Elizabeth Morgan is certified to teach Spanish and French. She was a student teacher here at Lake Park and also worked as a clinician at Linda Mood Bell Learning Center. She has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University.

 

Jeffrey Palac is teaching special education. He did his student teaching at Maine East High School and Armour School in Chicago. He has a master’s degree in special education from Northeastern Illinois University.

 

Mary Reynolds is teaching special education. She taught at Frost Junior High in Schaumburg, and in St. Charles and LaGrange. She has a master’s degree from St. Xavier University.

 

Aaron Sandberg is teaching English. He is a familiar face around Lake Park, serving last year as a long-term substitute and formerly as an instructional aide and student teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Elmhurst College.

 

Stacey Vest is teaching math. She was a student teacher at Fenton High School and at Barking Abbey Upper School in Barking, England.

 

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