Outstanding Achievement Award Winners
Four seniors recently received Lake Park High School’s highest honor – the District Award for Outstanding Achievement. Melanie Gage, Kathryn Kilbridge, David Pileski, and Alexandra Wiatr are the Class of 2009 recipients and are recognized for their accomplishments of scholarship, activities, athletics, and public service. Winners of this prestigious award are nominated by teachers, coaches and administrators. They were presented with plaques at the Scholarship and Awards Night on May 21 and their pictures are included in the Academic Wall of Fame located at both East and West Campus.
Melanie Gage -
Melanie has an impressive grade point average and class rank, and has taken eleven Honors and
AP courses during her four years at Lake Park. She has also earned Highest Honors recognition
each semester. Melanie works hard in every class, making it difficult to determine which
academic areas are challenging for her. Melanie is modest about this, however, and takes
nothing for granted. She is a willing participant in class, and an academic role model.
Melanie has been on the Varsity Cheerleading team since she was a freshman. She led the team last year to 4th place in the Illinois State Cheerleading Competition. Melanie has earned recognition by receiving the Academic All-Conference Award, the All-Conference Award, and the IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award for 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Melanie’s achievements were recognized outside of Lake Park and the Upstate 8 Conference as well. She was chosen by the Universal Cheerleading Association as an All-Star Cheerleader this summer, and was asked to be teacher/staff member for them by an Illinois Head Instructor.
Melanie’s smile shows so much more than just a nice set of pearly whites. Behind that
smile is optimism when times are uncertain, resilience when things are challenging, and sincere
concern for others when she has enough on her own plate. Her smile shows that she can view
herself with a sense both a sense of humility and humor. Melanie exhibits a maturity
beyond her years at no cost to her energy, hope, and enthusiasm for what can be. She is sure
to continue her success in her studies at College of DuPage.
Katie Kilbridge -
Katie was voted by her peers as “Most Likely To Be President” and it’s easy to understand
why.
She has been an active member of the Lake Park Student Council for four years, serving as its
president during her junior year as well as vice president of the Northeast District of student
Councils where she helped train her peers on leading discussions during their annual
convention. During her senior year, Katie served as the Student Council’s historian and as
the district’s Convention Chairperson, planning and organizing a convention for over 100
people.
As president of National Honor Society, Katie was instrumental in getting several big service projects off the ground, including the “Homework Buddies” program at the Bloomingdale Library. Since September of last year, NHS students have tutored elementary and middle school students two evenings a week. Katie is an organized and effective leader who makes sure everything gets done.
Katie has also been involved in athletics at Lake Park. She was named co-captain during her senior year and also served as a senior instructional leader in her golf coach’s double algebra class, working with students who were struggling with math or fell behind.
In addition to her many activities, Katie is a 5.0 student taking mostly honors and AP classes while at Lake Park High School. She was chosen by her peers to give the commencement speech. Katie will attend the University of Illinois and is already enrolled in the Honors Business College, which allows her to participate in job shadows and a two week-long international trips to learn about foreign cultures. We are confident that Katie will be a success at the University of Illinois!
David Pileski -
David is an exceptionally disciplined, highly motivated, persevering young man with a clear
vision of his future. He has a strong work ethic and pursues his goals with determination. He meets
every challenge with a positive attitude and takes the initiative in finding solutions.
David maintains an amazing balance between academics, activities, and the world-of-work. Academically, David has always been an outstanding student. He strives to do his best in whatever he undertakes. Since his freshman year, David has been a very active member of Student Council - serving as vice-president during his freshman year and president during his sophomore and senior years. Junior year, he served as president of the Northwest District of the Illinois Association of Student Councils. During his senior year, David has also been the editor of the Illinois Association of Student Council publication. For three years, he has been a lobbyist and legislator for Youth and Government and was elected Governor this year.
In spite of his busy schedule, David made time to volunteer in the community for PADS, worked for the Kansas Special Olympics, and is an active member of the DuPage 4-H Club. As a member of a church youth group, he has participated in many service trips to other states to help the needy and work with Habitat for Humanity.
David will continue his education at DePauw University in Indiana and pursue his career goal to attend law school at Columbia University. Congratulations, David!
Alexandra Wiatr
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Alexandra is a very bright, dedicated, personable and civic-minded young woman who ranks high
in her class and is a member of the National Honor Society. While at Lake Park, Alexandra has
taken ten honors and seven AP classes. Alexandra is both a National Merit Commended Scholar
and an AP Scholar and has been on the highest honor roll all four years.
During her four years at Lake Park, Alexandra has participated in a variety of activities. She has been a member of the girls’ volleyball team for four years, a starter for the last two, and served as the team captain during her senior year. Alexandra also participated in the Roselle Peer Jury, Youth and Government, Science Club and Orchesis.
Alexandra has consistently demonstrated a passion to further the cause of people and her community. Through her leadership and organizational skills, she founded a charity organization, Marrow for Minorities, with several Lake Park students. The group raises awareness about the need for individuals, with special emphasis on minorities, to join the match marrow registry as potential unrelated volunteer marrow and blood cell donors.
Alexandra demonstrates a remarkable work ethic. Her ability to motivate her peers is incredible. During volleyball, she constantly provided encouraging words to her teammates and often took on a leadership role. In anything Alexandra does, she sees the positive aspect as well as the opportunity that is in front of her. This ability will make her future at the University of Notre Dame a bright one!