What's recently happened?
Some of the students from Lake Central High School’s (LC) freshman and sophomore English classes, as well as some broadcasting students, had the opportunity to take a quick trip to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on February 26. They were able to experience an outstanding performance of “Romeo and Juliet” during the school day.
The group departed from LC during first period to head to the city. The students and two chaperones, Teachers Kristina Collard and Ella Swinney, were greeted by staff from the theater and taken directly to their seats.
The performance was a 70-minute long reenactment of “Romeo and Juliet.” The unique part, however, was that it was set in the ‘80s with a retro wardrobe and funky music.
One of the broadcasting students, Senior Kailey Kosina, loved the twist on the traditional play.
“I liked how the play wasn’t just the classic story of Romeo and Juliet. The ‘80s spin that the actors and director put on the play made it really enjoyable to watch,” Kosina said.
After the play, students were able to interact with the actors and actresses in a Q and A session. This was a great opportunity for students to learn about what went into the production of the play, and to hear it directly from the crew.
Following the outstanding performance and Q and A session, the group explored Navy Pier on the sunny day. They posed for a picture and even had time to get lunch together. Before they knew it, they were back on the buses to head back to LC before the school day was over.
Overall, the field trip offered students the opportunity to see a piece of literature they studied in class performed right in front of them. It also allowed students to learn in a different environment from their everyday classrooms.
What's coming up?
March 15 is a big day for students and faculty at LC because it’s when the exciting St. Baldrick's assembly will take place.
The bleachers of the main gym will be filled with eager students who are ready to watch colleagues and coworkers shave their heads for a great cause.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is something very important to LC, and it has been for years. Each year, the whole school gathers during the school day for the assembly to celebrate the amount of donations received and the brave people shaving their heads to support pediatric cancer research.
LC has been raising money the past couple of weeks for the foundation, as well as the shavees. Teacher Ralph Holden has already raised $2,119.85.
Another one of LC’s teachers, Carrie Wadycki-Cruz, will be shaving her head this year for the seventh year. She has raised $172.64 so far.
“St. Baldrick’s is important to me because I have had a lot of family members suffer from cancer, kids and adults alike. I just think it is a great way to give back and try to help find a cure,” Wadycki-Cruz said.
Students will also be able to volunteer to shave their head during the assembly. The school hopes to bring in more donations leading up to the thrilling day.
Staff spotlight:
As the dean of students at such a large high school, Elizabeth Kirn spends her days going above and beyond to ensure that students are safe and making smart choices while at LC.
With her main goal being to keep students safe in the academic setting, she values building relationships with students.
“Unfortunately, I sometimes have to give discipline and consequences, so when I talk with students I want to make them stop doing things so it doesn’t continue. We have a good conversation about how to look forward without doing bad things,” Kirn said.
Prior to working as the dean of students at LC, Kirn worked at Kahler Middle School and Grimmer Middle School teaching sixth, seventh and eighth grade. She attended Purdue University and majored in social studies secondary so she could teach middle and high school. She ended up teaching at the middle schools.
Additionally, Kirn decided to go back to school and did the master’s program through Ball State University.
“I loved working as a teacher. I was a huge nerd and still am. I wanted other kids to geek out on things that I thought were really cool. I wanted to be able to show them how geography, economics and history are really important. I wanted to impress upon them that these are things that we need to carry on,” Kirn said.
She misses being able to build relationships with students as a teacher. However, Kirn acknowledges that she is still able to build wonderful bonds with the students at LC in her position as the dean.
Kirn works hard during the school year and makes the most of her summers.
“I am very lucky that I married into a family that has a lake house. We boat and surf, wakeboard, and water ski. I love to fish as well, so we go out and we enjoy the summer,” Kirn said.
She also spends a lot of time with family outside of school.
“Family is something you don’t choose, but I choose to be with my family. I love being around them,” Kirn said.
Working at the middle schools prior to LC has allowed Kirn to see some of her old students all grown up.
“This is year 18 in the corporation. I’ve spent so much time and put so much energy into spirit and the students, and now I’m seeing that back. It is really exciting to see kids love school. That’s what gives me more love for Lake Central,” Kirn said.
Kirn expresses that LC has a great amount of school spirit throughout the building. However, she wants to make an important change.
“I want us to have a more community feeling. We have sports, band and choir, all of the other arts and communication parts of the school. Our students as a whole get along with one another. I want people to feel safe coming here and that they are coming into a building where everyone is connected,” Kirn said.
Student spotlight:
As an extremely involved student in and outside of school, Rylie Pancoast is actively working towards her future goals.
Pancoast is a member of five different clubs at LC. She also holds the important position of sports manager for LC’s broadcasting program, Lake Central Television (LCTV).
“I write scripts and interview a variety of athletes on different sports teams to get an inside look on how their season is going and to hear what they are doing in their future,” Pancoast said.
Pancoast also spends her time helping out with a variety of special needs events. She helps out at LC’s All-Star basketball games working the score boards. Pancoast also helps at the Special Olympics and Special Olympics bowling, as well as volunteering at the Down Syndrome Association building.
She additionally has two jobs, one of them being the hostess at White Hawk Country Club and the other job is an internship working at Northwestern University in downtown Chicago where she researches epilepsy.
“I obtained my internship position because I have epilepsy, so researching different cures and types of epilepsy is very cool. It has also helped me find what I want to do as my future career,” Pancoast said.
Her internship has inspired her to major in neuroscience and physiology at Purdue University in hopes of being able to research epilepsy in her future career.
Pancoast is looking forward to attending Purdue University in the fall and has a great love for the school.
“I love Purdue because the campus has so much history and it is big. There are tons of opportunities to meet new people and try new things. There are hundreds of clubs that you can join for anything you could ever think of,” Pancoast said.
Pancoast expresses that she has learned a lot throughout her high school years, and has advice for underclassmen.
“You do not have to be friends with everyone. Not everyone has to like you. You don’t have to please everyone. As long as you are happy, you don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks of you,” Pancoast said.