Latest news with #LFHS
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lake Forest Community High School senior named winner of prestigious National Merit Scholarship
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — A Lake Forest Community High School senior has been named a 2025 National Merit Scholarship winner, one of just 2,500 high school seniors nationwide to receive the honor recognizing the most academically talented students in the U.S. Elizabeth W. Silvay was selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists for their outstanding academic record, leadership and potential for success in rigorous college studies, Lake Forest Community High School announced in a news release Wednesday morning. Former Chicago alderman ID'd as man who draped coat over sleeping train passenger According to the school, Silvay began her National Merit journey by taking the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT, joining over 1.3 million entrants. Of those, fewer than 1% of U.S. high school seniors achieved semifinalist status and went on to become finalists eligible for scholarships. Less than 1% of students who initially apply for the National Merit Scholarship qualify for the top tier, which comes with a $2,500 scholarship award. 'Elizabeth represents the very best of LFHS — she's intellectually curious, deeply committed to her interests, and a positive force in every community she joins,' Dr. Erin Lenart, Assistant Superintendent/Principal of Lake Forest Community High School, said in the release. 'This recognition is a testament not only to her talent, but to her tenacity and the joy she brings to learning.' Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Silvay has committed to attend Ivy League school Dartmouth College starting in the fall, the school said in its release, and plans to pursue a career in chemical engineering. At her high school, Silvay has been a member of the Math Team, French Club, JV tennis and track and field, in addition to being a downhill ski racer with the Wilmot and Aspen Valley Ski Clubs. She was named to the Illinois Ski Team at the Western High School Championship earlier this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest High School graduate makes debut in 'the majors' with the Milwaukee Brewers
On a chilly April night, Regis Durbin Sr. is sitting in the Rate Field stands watching his son, Caleb, continuing to realize his childhood goal of playing baseball at the highest level. 'He always had a passion for the game, he always enjoyed playing,' the elder Durbin recalled. 'He always said he would like to play professional baseball. He always had that dream.' That dream came true on April 18, when Caleb Durbin, a 2018 Lake Forest High School graduate, got the call from the Milwaukee Brewers saying he was being brought up to the major leagues. Since then, Durbin, 25, has been a fixture in their lineup for the past two weeks. 'I think we have a really good team,' he said before an April 30 game against the White Sox, the team he rooted for as a child. 'It's been a lot of fun to be in the trenches with these guys and go to work every day up here.' The Durbins lived in both Lake Forest and Lake Bluff as Caleb, Regis, Jr. and their sister, Reanna, were growing up. It was a childhood filled with many traditional components for local children, with after-school treks to the Left Bank Restaurant for a hot dog followed by a short walk over to Sweet's for ice cream. Regis Sr. and Diane recall Caleb playing board games, chess and cards along with having an interest in art. But sports, particularly baseball, was his passion. Durbin channeled that love during games with friends with his talent so overwhelming that buddies made him hit left-handed in the pickup Wiffle Ball games, as he was too dominant from his natural right side. When Durbin reached Lake Forest High School, baseball coach Ray Del Fava loved his speed and natural instincts for the game. 'He just had the intangibles and as he grew and got stronger, he was able to add power to his tool belt,' Del Fava said. Durbin was a three-year starter for the LFHS varsity squad. He hit .500 in his junior year, followed by .424 in his senior year despite a 0-17 start that season. His stellar career there established a number of school offensive records and included two Most Valuable Player awards among many honors. His athletic ability was not limited to the baseball diamond. Like his father and brother, Durbin wrestled and was a cornerback for the LFHS football team, becoming a letter winner in those other sports as well. 'I always like kids who played multiple sports,' Del Fava said. 'Those were the kids who know how to compete and thrive in games.' But baseball was Durbin's favorite sport. Yet, despite his impressive LFHS statistics, Durbin did not catch the attention of baseball scouts. Del Fava thought they were scared due to his 5'7' frame. 'You can measure height, but you can't measure heart,' Del Fava said. 'That's what Caleb had. He played with a chip on his shoulder because of that and he used that as motivation.' Thus, after high school graduation, Durbin enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis. Playing at the Division III level, Durbin's game continued to excel. He once again earned accolades, with major league organizations starting to notice what he could do on the field. While earning a degree in economics, Durbin was selected in the 14th round (the 427th player overall) in the 2021 draft by the Atlanta Braves. That started a nomadic journey with stops all over minor league baseball and the Arizona Fall League. There were many long bus rides and playing in very small ballparks. 'It's a grind but you keep it all in perspective and realize how lucky you are that you are doing what you are doing,' Durbin said. 'It makes it easier getting through those tough times.' He was part of a 2022 trade from Atlanta to the New York Yankees. Last December, he was dealt again, this time to the Brewers. His mother saw that as a 'gift from God,' given the approximate 60 miles between Lake Bluff and Milwaukee. Earlier this year, Durbin battled for a major league roster spot in spring training, but did not go north with the Brewers. However, his minor league assignment this time was brief because three weeks into the regular season, Durbin received the word notifying him he was now a big leaguer. 'I was excited for the opportunity and wanted to make the most of it,' he said. His father was not surprised when Caleb let him know about the promotion. 'It's been a consistent path where he has improved each year,' Regis Durbin said. 'He got better at each level. So the expectation was pretty high, and (he continued) to work diligently so when he actually got called up, it wasn't unexpected. For me, it was part of the process.' Durbin has the distinction of being the only Division III college position player now active in the majors, according to a Major League Baseball spokesman. In his major league debut, he went 2-4 and scored a run with many of his family and friends at Milwaukee's American Family Field, including his LFHS wrestling coaches Matt Fiordirosa and Nick Kramer. Durbin conceded there were some butterflies in his stomach that first night. 'I wasn't as nervous for the baseball as I was for everything around it,' he recalled. 'There were so many people there supporting me and I wanted to do well for them.' The entourage making the trip north included Trevor Allen, a friend since kindergarten. 'It was awesome,' Allen said. 'It was just so cool to see your buddy play in a major league baseball game.' Durbin's first three games were at home, then the Brewers went on a three-city road trip, initially stopping in San Francisco. On April 21, he belted his first major league homer, a two-run blast off 2021 Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray. 'Definitely looking back at it, you realize how special it is to hit your first home run in the big leagues,' he said. Then it was back east to St. Louis for a series against the Cardinals and then on to Chicago for three games against the White Sox. Ahead of that set, his mom dropped off some of her family-recipe chicken cutlets and pasta to Caleb (a lover of Italian food) at the Chicago hotel where the Brewers were staying. At Rate Field, with lots of family and friends sitting behind the Brewers' dugout, Durbin played a big role in the first two games with a two-run single in the 6th inning of a 7-2 victory for the Brewers on April 29. The next night, he went 1-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly in the 8th inning, which gave the Brewers an insurance run as they went on to win, 6-4. Of course, baseball is a game of ups and downs as Durbin went 0-3 in the May 1 series finale, and he was picked off first base in the April 30 game. 'You are always acknowledging it and figuring out why it happened,' he said of the baserunning gaffe. 'Then you make sure it never happens again.' Through May 1, he is hitting .244 with the one homer and eight RBIs. Despite only playing 13 games through May 1, Durbin has already been hit by a pitch four times, placing him as one of the National League leaders in that category. He fractured his wrist last year, causing him to miss several weeks of the season, and said he is going to have extra padding on it to prevent that from happening again. 'I've always had a knack for getting hit,' Durbin said. 'Guys like going inside on me and I really don't get out of the way as I'm trying to stay in there and battle, especially with two strikes.' As Durbin settles into this new chapter of his life, his manager, Pat Murphy, is calling him 'Happy'. Why? 'He makes me happy, thus the nickname,' Murphy quipped. Murphy then elaborated on what he had seen so far from his rookie third baseman. 'He has great energy, (he's) a gamer,' he said. 'He creates his own standards and he has very high standards for himself.' Durbin is now trying to get used to playing against fellow major leaguers with his teammate Rhys Hoskins noting it can take years to get adjusted. 'But that type of mentality helps you in the long run,' said Hoskins, who has played in the majors since 2017. 'You never want to feel too comfortable in this game because the game will come up and find a way to bite you. This game is about adjustments as well so as soon as you start to get comfortable, the league is making an adjustment on you. It's up to you to make that adjustment back.' With Durbin getting used to big-league life, he does so with the advantage of his family being a relatively short trip down I-94. 'Now, on off days I can spend them at home,' he said. 'That has never been a thing before. It's definitely convenient.' With the Brewers set to host the Cubs this weekend, Durbin is getting used to the bigger stadiums, bigger crowds and all the other elements of Major League Baseball. He is having a good time, but realizing there are many other chapters to write. 'I'm a big leaguer myself now and I am learning every day,' he said. 'It is really a matter of having fun and the rest will take care of itself.'
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest High School names three new members of the Wall of Fame
An elected official and business executive, an acclaimed writer, and a noted musician represent the latest entries into the Lake Forest High School Wall of Fame. The school inducted Carla Neuschel Wycoff, Margaret McMullan, and Clark Sommers at an April 13 ceremony. A member of the LFHS Class of 1966, Wyckoff was elected as Lake County Clerk in 2014 before moving on to other roles. She has also been an American Medical Association executive and worked in both the Lake and McHenry County State's Attorney's office. McMullan is an author of nine award-winning books and has received an NEA fellowship and a Fulbright professorship. She was part of the LFHS Class of 1978. Sommers, a jazz musician, is a Grammy-award winning composer and bassist. He graduated from LFHS in 1995. 'We look for individuals who have made a significant and lasting impact in their profession and community,' LFHS faculty member and Selection Committee member Carolyn Konz said in a statement. The Wall of Fame honor began in 2005, but there had not been an induction ceremony since 2019, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Previous honorees include actor Vince Vaughn, Matt Grevers, an Olympic gold medal swimmer, bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and the late Chicago sportscaster Tim Weigel.
Chicago Tribune
04-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest HS students win outstanding achievement award at Student Silent Film Festival
To some, silent films may seem like a relic of the past. Yet the genre of filmmaking is very much in the present and future for some local students recently awarded for their work. Last month a group of Lake Forest High School students received the 'Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award' at the 2025 Student Silent Film Festival honored for an approximate six-minute film titled 'Between the Panels.' The film is a collaborative effort of LFHS students led by producer/student Grace Donovan. Now a LFHS senior, her interest in making movies was an outgrowth of productions she put together during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Based on a true story of a father of a current LFHS student, the film showcases a young student overcoming obstacles looking to succeed in the comic book business. The film's message of perseverance meshes with the festival's theme of 'Creativity Unleashed.' LFHS was one of three winners from a pool of 11 entries from media programs at Chicago area high schools. 'It makes me really proud,' noted Donovan, who plans to go to film school. 'This is the first award I have won in new media. It is a milestone for me in my filmmaking.' Donovan is a student of LFHS new media teacher Steve Douglass, who wants his students to experience the challenges silent filmmaking presents. 'For them to balance and also be ready to perform at a high level, that is what we are trying to prepare the kids for,' he said. 'It really is cool to be able to be successful in that, but it is really about the process.' Douglass said his students may pursue careers in social media marketing, film or television, there are crucial lessons to be learned from silent films. 'Showing – rather than telling – is super important,' he explained. 'For them to get to understand exactly what that means in different concepts and a different form of storytelling is really helpful.' Donovan, working with director Gonzalo Zarazaga, oversaw a crew of 15 LFHS students creating the film. Over the course of four weeks beginning last November, the crew shot in six different locations including LFHS, Lake Bluff Middle School and Libertyville's Dreamland Comics. 'The more we worked together, the stronger communicative skills we had,' Donovan said. Augmenting the overall student crew were roughly 20 students from District 67's Deer Path Middle School and Lake Bluff Middle School. LBMS students have played extras in previous LFHS student productions, allowing the sixth through eighth graders a chance to observe and participate. 'My kids really get a chance to see what it is like to be on a film set and the different jobs and you don't just have to be in front of the camera,' noted LBMS theatre teacher Ryan Ingrim. 'You can do all of these other things.' After the movie was shot and edited, the final product was sent to the film festival directors for submission. The entries were shown Jan. 22 at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove with festival organizers providing a custom musical score for each film. 'It is one of those things where you don't know what is going to happen until you actually show up,' Douglass said of the music. The judges – who work in the entertainment industry – selected the winners based on the story's narrative, development, lighting, editing, and camera work, according to a festival statement. Douglass mentioned previous LFHS students last won the award in 2017 and 2018. Thus he was thrilled with the honor this year acknowledging the students have many academic responsibilities besides his class. 'It really is cool to be able to be successful in that,' Douglass said. 'It was a great demonstration and validation for them to be able to go through the process well and when you do that, and then awards will come.'
