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Principal Scott Grens celebrates the new College & Career Lab at Lake View High School, one of the many changes that took place over the summer.

Extensive LVHS Capital Improvements Kick off the 2015 School Year

A large-scale capital effort was a welcome surprise for Lake View High School (LVHS) students earlier this month - including the renovation of dozens of classrooms and the Counseling Center, remodeled public and faculty spaces, a new College & Career Lab, and a fresh look to the new “Wildcat Room.”

“We worked on securing these improvements over the last year,” said Principal Scott Grens, “These renovations will have a tremendously positive impact on our students and teachers this year and beyond.”

Principal Grens walked parents through the upgraded spaces as he listed the academic benefits the school-wide renovations would deliver for students and families. His tour included the Wildcat Room, a multi-purpose room generously renovated by the Chicago Cubs to host university speakers, the STEM Challenge, and other events for students.

“These upgrades across the school are sending a positive and powerful signal to LVHS students, faculty, and community. The real investment corrects misperceptions of LVHS and aligns with the huge increase in parent and community involvement we’re experiencing,” says Grens.

“Among all of the updates, I’m particularly excited by the build-out of our College & Career Lab,” Grens continued. “One of our primary goals is to ensure that LVHS students matriculate to the universities that best suit their visions and dreams – in other words, their 'match school'."

To make this vision a reality, each LVHS senior’s goal will be to complete six university applications as part of their Senior Contract. "Individualized college support requires the right people, resources, and environment," said Grens. "This year, I’m proud to say, we’re better positioned than ever to support our students.”

University of Chicago Research Quantifies LVHS's Trajectory

The University of Chicago Awards LVHS Top Rating in School Performance
The 2015 University of Chicago’s nationally regarded Illinois 5Essentials report uses survey data from over 80% of LVHS students and teachers - as well as a large sample of parents - to report year-over-year changes in U of C’s five essential components for school success. At LVHS, the anonymous survey showed major yearly increases across the board, in some cases matching or exceeding scores given to local selective enrollment high schools.

2015 highlights include:

89% of teachers would recommend the school to parents
95% of teachers feel respected by other teachers
93% of teachers believe the staff works hard to build relationships with parents
90% of students believe that teachers work hard to make sure everyone is learning

Of the 5 essentials for an effective school, LVHS increased between 11 and 28 points in each of these categories between 2014 and 2015:

Effective Leaders
Ambitious Instruction
Collaborative Teachers
Supportive Environment
Involved Families

“While these numbers demonstrate the incredible progress our school-wide team is making across the board, we’re just getting started,” says Principal Scott Grens.

2015 LVHS graduate Estelle proudly shares her acceptance from U of I Urbana

Final Numbers: LVHS Seniors Earn 781 College Acceptances
End-of-year data from last year is in, and the 2015 LVHS graduating class saw a total of 781 college acceptances, a total amounting to nearly three university acceptances per senior. “This number represents a range of colleges, matched to a huge range of higher education goals among our seniors,” said Erin Howell, College & Career Coach.

“The numbers are great, but it’s the stories behind the numbers that I’m so proud of. From Ivy League to outstanding state schools to smaller specialized colleges, our 2015 LVHS seniors are spread across the United States and taking the aspirations and learnings from LVHS with them,” says Principal Scott Grens. “Whatever university a student aspires to, it is our job to get them there; and, these numbers demonstrate that our team is doing that.”

This year, 41 LVHS students have already been nominated for four-year, full-tuition Posse Scholarships, awarded to students with outstanding academic and leadership credentials.

If you are interested in learning more about Lake View High School - Chicago’s Premier Neighborhood High School - please visit the school website at lakeviewhs.com and visit the LVHS Open House on October 24^th from 9am-12pm. If you’re interested in direct involvement in supporting LVHS, please email info@lvhspartners.org to get connected!