The Lake Forest High School Foundation celebrated its 16th annual Grant Day on Friday, February 23, 2018. Foundation Trustees traveled the halls of LFHS surprising grant recipients with the exciting news that their grant had been funded. In total, 15 grants representing over $125,000 were awarded across 9 different curricular areas. The Foundation is thrilled to partner with LFHS to bring state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge resources that enrich the educational experience for all students. We are grateful for our valued donors who make it possible for us to continue investing in educational excellence at LFHS!
APPLIED TECHNOLOGY UNDERWATER ROBOTICS KITS Science and Applied Technology received 5 Underwater Robotics Kits for students in Robotics, Physics, Biology, Environmental Science, and Outdoor Education to explore large bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, and even the school pool. These robots give students moveable, 360 degree underwater capabilities for deeper learning of buoyancy, propulsion, velocity, acceleration, and movement.
ART DEPARTMENT DIGITAL ART ROOMRoom 51 will be transformed into a cutting-edge environment to promote collaborative learning,maximize effective use of existing technology, and allow students to critique artwork and brainstorm ideas. The grant includes an 80” monitor for class demonstrations, 6 whiteboard collaboration tables with attached 50”monitors, and Apple TV for wirelessly monitoring displays.
DRAGONFRAME SOFTWARE This grant provides 12 Dragonframe 4 software licenses, 12 USB keypads, 6 lateral tripods, and 6 LED light panels for stop motion animation. This professional grade software is considered the best in the industry. Students in Animation, Photography, and AP Art will utilize this grant.
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY AUDIO VIDEO RECORDING KITSOne of the most common requests across LFHS is for tools to record classroom projects. With these new kits, students will be able to perform activities such as: AP Seminar/ AP Research presentations, Modern Global Issues news broadcasts, stop motion animation for Environmental Science, product commercials for Business Education, filming for English, vlogs for Biology, Forest Scout interviews, monologues for Theater classes, and student-teacher observations.
TEDX EQUIPMENT LFHS will host its 4th TEDx event. This grant for a multi-camera video switcher, professional grade HD camcorders, wireless microphones, and a confidence monitor, will significantly improve the quality of the digital presentations and production. In addition to the audience and live stream views, these TEDx videos, which have been viewed more than 80,000 times on the TEDx YouTube channel, are archived and used for classroom learning. The equipment will also be used for Graduation, Talent Show, Pitch Night, Veteran’s Day, Law mock trials, district events, and club activities.
ENGLISH THE FOREST SCOUT NEWSPAPER The Forest Scout received funding for printing hard copies of this student publication to be distributed throughout the school, as well as across the towns of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. This affords students, teachers, parents, and community members the luxury of a tangible, print copy of student work.
LIBRARY NOOK E-READERS The library is excited to add 30 Nook e-Readers with protective Neoprene sleeves – enough for a classroom set plus 5 extras. These devices have four times the memory of the current readers, allowing access to an even greater number of resources.
SCIENCE SCIENCE LAB FURNITURE The Science department will redesign two classrooms as part of a collaborative learning pilot program with mobile, multi-functional, lab tables and chairs. This moveable design will provide teachers the flexibility to instantly change the entire classroom configuration, going from lecture to lab within the same period. These interlocking lab tables, certified to withstand the extreme elements found in science classrooms, will allow the department to move from teacher-centered to student-centered learning.
SOCIAL STUDIES INTERACTIVE DISPLAY SYSTEMS Social Studies will pilot 4 interactive display systems that will allow simultaneous interactivity for up to 6 users, enabling sharing of content with all classroom devices and providing collaboration with up to 50 devices. They also allow a greater amount of media to be sent to each student’s Chromebook at the click of a button.
ALBERT AP SOFTWARE Albert is a web-based interactive database of multiple choice questions for AP classes. It allows teachers to create question sets based on individual student needs — showing student progress and giving real-time feedback including explanations of why certain answers are right or wrong. This grant funds a 2018-2019 pilot program for AP Psychology, AP World History, and AP Government & Politics to determine whether to expand to more AP classes in 2019-2020.
WELLNESS WALL CLIMBING HAND HOLDS The climbing wall was installed during the 1990-1991 school year. With this grant, the climbing wall, which is used by 8 sections of students in Wall Climbing, Outdoor Education, and Outdoor Adventure, will have new hand hold equipment enabling students to create adjustable route designs targeting exact movements.
REAL CARE BABIES & PREGNANCY SIMULATORS The Wellness department will be able to expand the “baby project” learning experience with 5 new Real Care Babies and 5 Real Care Pregnancy Simulators. This project, which meets Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards, allows students to gain valuable knowledge regarding the demand of parenting.
TREADMILLS This grant will provide 3 treadmills to the weight room to meet the high demand that exists every class period, as well as before and after school. Treadmills are used heavily in Wellness For Life, Strength & Conditioning, Healthy Lifestyles classes, and by students and staff members throughout the day.