The year was defined by resilience, growth and close community – from standout athlete performances, memorable performances and deep community among the school spirit. As 2025 comes to a close, many significant moments come to mind. 

Spirit:

The school’s spirit reached another level this year with the homecoming theme of “Ticket to Paradise.” From theme days like “Levi’s and Leis” to the energetic Color Wars, students participated and loved doing it.

“For me, I think football games a lot of people go and there’s a lot of spirit around those,” junior Kira Dolph said. “And then Color Wars, compared to the other spirit days, that one so many people participate in and go all out.”

At the homecoming assembly, senior Myles Batesky held the honor of Homecoming Wildcat after being nominated from the Homecoming Court.

“I think a lot of the people on that board were my friends, but I thought it was definitely cool to kind of be recognized for my school spirit,” Batesky said. “It was an honor, and it was really cool to represent the school like that.”

Being part of the Wildcat community expands even further into the specific school wide events, including the work that Prevention and Wellness puts together by decorating the halls and the fun Hot Chocolate Fridays put on in winter. 

“Being a Wildcat just means sticking together with people and helping each other out,” junior Victoria Ivanov said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean being best friends with everyone at all times, but just like being there for each other and supporting each other, like the DARING mission.”

Fine Arts:

The Fine Arts shone across all areas this year – and the theater department, in particular, delivered a standout performance.

In Jan. 24 and 25th, the freshman and sophomore classes performed “The Little Prince,” starting the year off with a heartfelt retelling of the classic story. The play combined themes of innocence with community as the play switched between scenes of planet to planet to symbolize the Prince’s journey.  

On Feb. 7 and 8, the Stageplayers performed “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” a complex and thought-provoking story that blends political suspense with emotional storytelling. The play overall explores themes like justice, morality and sacrifice. 

In late 2025, from Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, the theater department brought together a heartfelt community on stage and off stage through the production of “Les Misérables.” From the historic French Revolution timeline to the expression of hope in darkness, the musical was found by the audience to be one of the most ambitious and moving productions in the school’s history for its emotional depth and detailed staging. 

Just as “Les Misérables” brought together meaningful storytelling through music and emotions, the annual Writers Expo showcased the power of storytelling through words. This year, the event experimented with new activities, from Dad Jokes to panels. 

“I think [what will] will probably stand out about this year’s event is just the diversity in terms of the types of writers we are bringing in,” English teacher Mr. Matt Tooley said. “It’s not just like the student presenters, but I think just the range, the fact that students can hear from a travel writer and a graphic novelist, and not just some kind of standard poets and novelists.”

Students don’t just have to be into English or creative writing to appreciate the value of Writers Expo – Writers Expo brings in diversity, creativity, and divergent thinking in terms of how writing can be viewed, such as physics teacher Mr. Bussing or students writing impromptu poetry. 

Orchestra students also tried out new adventures in 2025, including going on a trip to Germany and the Czech Republic. As the group returned home, the same sense of connection carried back into the orchestra room to a space that serves as more than just a rehearsal room.

“[Orchestra can be] a comfortable space for people to hang out and relax,” Orchestra teacher Mr. Jeremy Marino said. “There can be a group of really tight-knit kids, but then there’s also a group of kids who are just kind of this, come in and just play orchestra, and that’s what they do.”

For the band, the year has been full of achievements and recognition. The wind ensemble got accepted into the Illinois Music All-State Festival and the Illinois Music Education Conference. The wind ensemble also got accepted to the College Band Directors National Association, being a part of one of the two bands out of the eight-state region, where they will play at the University of Michigan in April. 

In December and January, the Marching Wildcats will be heading to Disney World, where they will participate in the Magic Kingdom parade and the Universal Studios parade. They will also do a recording session at one of the Disney World workshops to one of the Disney movies to learn how studio musicians record. 

For a lot of students, this is one of the last times that they’re going to get the opportunity to march in a marching band for thousands of people, unless they are continuing in their college band.

Currently ranked 13 in the state with a 15-4 overall win, the flag football team started off determined to climb the ladder not only in success in the game, but as a team culture. Made up of a variety of athletes coming from different sports to players building their experience from the ground up, the team came with open arms. 

Growth wasn’t just about skill; the team also became the first in the conference to officially add a third level, showing huge enthusiasm for the sport among the school. 

“Across the state, we’re just hoping that more schools will add programs [and] more of the schools that have programs will be able to add lower levels,” Coach Tiffany Rafiner said. “The hope is for continued growth across the state as well as across the country, so more and more colleges keep adding football programs. We’re hoping that in the next couple of years, there will be a D1 program. I think with the addition of the sport in the Olympics, it should be huge.”

Star players also made their mark on the field. Senior Natalie Schmidt was able to pull more than 15 flags in one single game. Senior Kenzie Hughes was able to pull the flag during regionals three yards away from the end zone in a breakaway touchdown. On offense, senior Ella Pawelczyk was a reliable force as she was able to get yardage and get a first down almost every time. 

Though the season was brutal with injuries, the team showed their grit by girls stepping up and taking over roles that were hard to fill, forcing the players to grow closer to one another. 

The same perseverance and strength defined the boys cross country season. The team started off with the hope to qualify for state and with adversity like no other, as they challenged losing runners to injuries, still qualifying for state.

Other than the success on the runs, the brotherhood formed among the boys throughout the season, summer camp and trusting the process ot the boys into sectionals. 

“I am most proud of the kids just continuing to meet the standards and expectations… [and] showing the younger guys what our culture is about,” Coach Stuart Mendelsohn said. “That’s how we need to move forward to keep the success we’ve been having for the future.”

The girls cross country, with 24 seniors this year, also faced their fair share of injuries, but found success in leadership and resilience. 

“We struggled a little with injury this year, which was very uncharacteristic of our team,” Coach Annemarie Sampson said. “So we had to take a couple steps back and analyze some of what we were doing, and we knew that maybe some of the levers we had pulled earlier in the season, we had pulled too strongly and needed to come back on a little.”

The team ended up coming out of conference with double-digit personal records at the freshman-sophomore and JV level. The varsity team didn’t quite peak at conference, but this will allow them to peak at postseason.  

The team’s reaction to disappointment was where the growth was seen individually. Athletes were able to respond well when things didn’t go their way, keeping them stable as the rest of the season went on. 

“I think the other big growth factor for us is developing trust and reciprocal relationships,” Coach Sampson said. “So the athletes learn they can trust me, and then I learn I can trust them, and we develop a reciprocal relationship.”

Coach Sampson also developed a PEAC-Train Like a Girl app with female athletes as the faces of the app. The app is focused on mental performance, rest, mobillty, yoga and breathwork. 

“We’re really focused on female athletes and their coaches, and we want to make it not only accessible to them, but we want to make it really geared towards them,” Coach Sampson said. “It’s not like other fitness apps that you see out there. We’re really talking about how to inspire and engage with a female athlete and their coach, so it’s very specific.”

Currently ranked 16th in Illinois, girls volleyball also ended the year with a strong season, winning their 7th consecutive win at Sectionals against Hampshire with 25-23 and 25-18. The Wildcats also made it to Super Sectionals in Dekalb. Senior Claire Evans was named Co-Player of the Year for the North Suburban Conference, leading the season in kills, 2nd in aces, and 3rd in digs. 

“[The seniors] were just an amazing little four pack, Sydney and Claire and Ella and Avery,” Coach Greg Loika said. “They stuck together like glue, and I think they showed us all just that, when you’re together and you’re close, that just how important that can be to achieving things that you want to achieve, on the court [and] off the court.”

From packed bleachers to energizing concerts to setting records both mentally and physically, 2025 proved that LHS is more than just a school. It is a community of Dreamers and Doers, and of stamina and kindness. Whether on the field, stage, or participating in Wildcat spirit, students continue to live the DARING mission.