Summer
greetings! Life at LFCDS has been active in these early days of Summer. Under Ty Stuckslager, Rich Massa, and
Kim Crawford's able leadership, the third year of LFCDS' summer camp is
off to a great start.
(It's not too late to register for the second three week session that began Monday, July 6
and runs through Friday, July 24. Visit www.lfcds.org/program/summer to register. Registration information about the August 17-21 academic and sports prep classes is also available.) Looking to the future, the purpose of
this letter is to share with you faculty and staff departures and new
appointments.
Please click here to read about faculty and staff appointments for 2009.We
are pleased to bring you this issue of Panther Tales, which offers
glimpses of the exciting end-of-the-year activities at LFCDS. Our new
format is meant to give you LFCDS news in brief, with a stronger
emphasis on photos and occasional longer stories. We hope you enjoy
this new version of Panther Tales. I extend to you best wishes for a safe and happy summer
break.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Robinson
Head of School
Graduation at LFCDSLFCDS
was proud to celebrate its 2009 graduates at the Closing Exercises on
June 11. The ceremony included the beloved tradition of reading a
bookplate to each graduating student, which summed up his or her
achievements as well as the personal difference each student made in
the LFCDS community. The Mary Ann Bondurant Hodkins Award for
Volunteerism was presented to parent volunteers Nancy Clemens, Katie
Hale, and Lynn Taylor. We again congratulate our departing students and
wish them the best as they move on to High School and beyond.
View a slideshow of the Graduation Ceremony.
Eighth Graders shine in Dick TracyEighth grade students wowed their LFCDS audience in a savvy and humorous production of
Dick Tracy in late May. This play wrapped up the sequence of Chicago-themed plays produced at the School this year. It was preceded by
A Chicago Carol (written by a faculty ensemble at the School) and David Mamet's
The Museum of Science and Industry Story. Drama teacher Manon Spadaro did an outstanding job adapting the screenplay of
Dick Tracy
to the stage, and parents, faculty, staff, and students alike enjoyed
much laughter and entertainment as they watched the story unfold.
Visit the Dick Tracy Media Gallery.
Fourth Graders Tell Chicago Stories on StageFourth
grade students presented three "Chicago Stories" for the Lower School
at an extended Community Meeting on Wednesday, May 27. The project was
a celebration of their year-long immersion into all things Chicago, as
well as a culmination of their year's study of storytelling and story
theatre in drama class. Each class chose a different story to adapt
into a story theatre piece. The presentation began with Mrs. Kelley’s
class. The class chose to adapt a novel about the Great Chicago Fire
called "Children of the Fire." Mrs. Morrissey’s class presented a story
about the 1893 Worlds' Columbian Exposition called "The Best of the
Fair," taken from the Chicago History Museum’s interactive website.
Finally, Mrs. McCormack’s class presented a story called "A Tough
Call," also taken from the Chicago History Museum. After their
performance, the fourth graders answered questions about their
production from the Lower School audience.
Visit the Fourth Grade Play Gallery.
Second Graders Present Chicago to the International Olympics CommitteeSecond
graders wrapped up their Diverse Communities unit (part of our Year of
Chicago), with a stunning display of their work in the School's Green
Bay Atrium in early June. Students worked in groups to research and
create PowerPoint presentations highlighting landmark destinations of
Chicago. The theme of the project was to convince the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) that Chicago should be the host city for the
2016 games. Students created a cityscape using paper sculpting and
printmaking techniques in their fine arts class, which was displayed in
the Green Bay Atrium while students gave PowerPoint demonstrations on
laptops. The presentations were ultimately passed on to the real IOC in
connection to the city's bid for the games. Students were excited to
participate in such an important part of Chicago's contemporary
history.
View the Gallery of Second Graders making their presentations.Head of Lower School & Head of School...for a dayThe
month of May brought the excitement of a new Head of Lower School and
Head of School for a day. Tessa Mills (Grade 4) and Katie Reid-Anderson
(Grade 8) did a phenomenal job of leading the Lower School and the
entire School respectively for one day. This special privilege was
purchased by their parents at the 2009 LFCDS
Camelot Auction.
Tessa spent her day helping Mrs. Bullard in meetings, reading to the
Junior & Senior Kindergarten, leading a Lower School assembly that
included a ventriloquist act, and hosting a special lunch for her
classmates. Katie had a full schedule of meetings as she helped out
with decisions about landscaping and future building projects, visited
several classrooms, and finished the day with a special off-campus
treat for her classmates: a field trip to WhirlyBall in Vernon Hills.
Congratulation to both girls on a job well done!
View a slideshow of Tessa and Katie's days.
The LFCDS Wax Museum
Third
grade students turned the Green Bay Atrium into a wax museum to show
what they had learned about important historical figures. From Amelia
Earhart to Van Gogh, the students did a wonderful job impersonating the
famous figure they had chosen to represent. Students collected various
items to talk about during their presentation, dressed up as their
character, and then told the character's life story in first person
narrative. With such a hands-on learning experience, third graders and
their audience are certain to remember this piece of history for years
to come.
View the Wax Museum Photo Gallery.
Upper School Award Ceremony & Honor RollThe
Upper School award ceremony on June 10 was a wonderful occasion to
acknowledge our students' hard work this year. Along with the reading
of the Second Semester Academic Honor Roll and the Awards presentation,
the eighth grade was proud to present its class gift. They gave a
donation to the
School's Fine Arts program, which will allow for new gallery space and
other improvements. Eighth graders Victoria Etherton, Chris Janeck,
Lauren Stevenson, and Hillary Werner offered departing remarks from the
Class of 2009. The award ceremony concluded with the popular year-end
slide show, including childhood pictures of our eighth graders and
photos of all of the upper school students throughout the year.
Congratulations to all of our Upper School students on their academic achievements!
View the Honor Roll.View this year's award winners.Lower School Closing AssemblyJune
10 marked a special day of celebration at LFCDS as we gathered for the
Lower School Closing Assembly. This cherished LFCDS tradition is a time
to celebrate our fourth graders and welcome them to the Upper School.
Each fourth grader was recognized for his or her unique achievements
and traits as recalled and presented by the Lower School teachers.
First, second, and third graders offered a meaningful goodbye
performance for their schoolmates. Head of Lower School Sally Bullard
recalled the year's events, focusing on the Year of Chicago that the
Lower School participated in through various curriculum and special
activities. The ceremony drew to a close as students said a symbolic
"goodbye" to Mrs. Bullard and were welcomed into the Upper School by
Mr. Robinson.
View a slide show of the Lower School Closing Ceremony.LFCDS grows 1 of 1 CampaignLFCDS continues to implement the
1 of 1
advertising campaign that was launched earlier this year. With new
LFCDS faces featured in ads, our website, and various mailings, we are
proud to showcase our students and the excellent education the School
has to offer. Please visit the following links to catch a glimpse of
new aspects of the campaign:
1 of 1 website for new web visitors1 of 1 Alumni ad featuring Adam Levin '98
