Science students at Lake Forest High School will soon be able to view and manipulate scientific data and graph lab results using the latest technology, thanks to a LFHS Foundation-funded grant for new SMART Board ™ interactive whiteboard systems. An invaluable resource in the Math Department due to a LFHS Foundation grant, the SMART Board expansion initiative will also include new systems for the Social Studies Department and the Library. On April 22, the Foundation awarded over $137,000 to nine departments during its second annual Spring Grant Day event. Since its inception in 2002, the LFHS Foundation has awarded over $775,000 in grants to enhance LFHS students’ educational experiences.
Tony Filippo, Instructional Director, LFHS Wellness Department, was thrilled to receive a grant toward the purchase of new cardiovascular exercise equipment. His grant application included information on a five-year study conducted at Naperville Central High School, recently featured on ABC World News, which demonstrated that improved student cardiovascular health led to significantly higher math and reading scores. “We needed to make a curriculum change, and this grant will go a long way to helping us implement those changes and improving cardiovascular health of students at the high school,” said Filippo. An estimated 650 students will benefit from the new equipment every week.
Other grant awards include: SMART Boards for the Social Studies Department, allowing teachers dual-screen display of maps and data, and a camera/computer mini-lab to allow student-created visual essays; a SMART Board for the library’s research curriculum and advanced SMART Board instruction for all departments; equipping the David Miller Theatre with multi-media systems; expansion of the LFHS Foundation-funded Social Studies speaker series into a school-wide initiative; and two iMac computers and professional display panels for the Art Department. The Foundation also co-funded a timpani with the Music Department’s foundation, Applause. “The Foundation Board was impressed with the quality and the amount of preparation that went into the grant requests.” said Jennifer Graham, LFHS Foundation Vice Chair, Grants.
Superintendent Dr. Harry Griffith remarked during the grant award presentation about the Foundation’s impact on the high school. “When you have the ability to constantly add innovation into (the high school),” he explained, “it becomes a really special place. More than any other organization in the community, the LFHS Foundation helps us to do that, the fusion of tradition and innovation.”
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