After recent rain storms in Chicago, Lane’s parking lot has sat filled with large puddles and flooding when it rains. New renovations are planned in hopes to avoid that situation in the future.

A plan to resurface the parking lot was announced by Principal Edwina Thompson during the February Local School Council (LSC) meeting on Feb. 9. In accordance with new construction codes, concrete planters containing trees will be added to the parking lot. The fencing around the parking lot will also be redone.

According to Thompson, the concrete planters are required in large parking lots as a way to prevent flooding by creating underground water reservoirs.

For the past school year, Lane has been working with the 47th Ward Alderman’s office, DePaul College Prep and the city of Chicago about how the changes to the lot will affect local traffic patterns. According to Thompson, Lane is making sure that CPS is connected to the city when thinking about how the potential changes in traffic flow could affect the community.

The exact start time of construction is undetermined. The target date is summer, and Lane’s summer offerings will be impacted accordingly.

Continuing from last month’s report, the Lane Professional Personnel Leadership Committee (PPLC) has decided to shelve block scheduling. Student Representative Yomou Lu said that what students really seemed to really want was a study hall and not necessarily block scheduling. In accordance with this the PPLC is trying to find ways for students to have more time to study and meet with their teachers, potentially through more Champions Hour time.

Here’s what else happened at the February meeting:

Purchase Orders and Fundraisers

The LSC had two purchase orders and four fundraisers to approve.

Purchase Orders:

• $17,301.60 to College Board for October 2022 PSATs.
• $44,060 to Grainger for combination locks for the 2023-2024 school year.

Fundraisers:

• Friends of Lane guest bartender parent social at Commonwealth on Feb. 23.
• Black Student Association (BSA) selling chocolate from World’s Finest Chocolate.
• Friends of Lane Green and Gold Gala on May 5.
• Lane Tech Academic Center (LTAC) student council selling tickets to the LTAC Winter Formal on Feb. 2.

All purchase orders and fundraisers were approved.

Resolutions

BSA advisors Tiffany Williams and Monica Stevenson as well as school community representative Amber Loving were honored by Thompson for their contributions to the Lane community through their work with the BSA.

Principal’s Report

The principal’s report at this month’s LSC was primarily a list of the new building projects in the school. In addition to the parking lot, new projects include the following:

• An upgrade to the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
• Auditorium sound system.
• Gym 1 seating.
• Weight room padding, which is funded by Friends of Lane. This padding is needed for the pillars in the school’s new weight room.

Thompson announced the purchase of additional furniture for the main office foyer using funds donated by Friends of Lane. According to Thompson, this area has become popular during lunch.

“The hotspot in our building during all lunch periods is – believe it or not – the main office foyer,” Thompson said.

The exact timing of the start of the improvements to Gym 1 seating and the HVAC system is not currently known, but like the parking lot, the target date is in the summer.

“We need padding around the pillars because some of the students are very jovial in their weightlifting, and therefore we need protection for the walls,” Thompson said.

PPLC Report

Rebecca Atwood from the math department was elected as a new PPLC member after Celeste Ramovic stepped down from her position on the PPLC Feb. 3.

The Instructional Support Funding Committee (ISFC), led by teacher representatives Rebecca Daly and Mario Nunez, provides funds to teachers to purchase instructional materials. Through the ISFC, a wish list of expensive teaching supplies is being assembled and will be brought to the next LSC meeting to be voted on.

At the next meeting there will be a Champions Ambassador Report about reaching out to elementary schools and their students about Lane.

Friends of Lane Report

Friends of Lane Vice President Janelle Reynolds came to the LSC meeting to make announcements on the organization’s behalf. 

Since students have been coming to Friends of Lane with specific requests, FoL has approved $5,000 in yearly student council grants. The $5,000 will be distributed in the form of $500 each to 7th and 8th graders, and $1000 to each high school grade level. If approved by their staff leader, the student council of each grade level will be able to use this money at their own discretion.

Friends of Lane will be holding a fundraiser at the Commonwealth Tavern with teachers and coaches guest bartending on Feb. 23. On the night of the event, tickets to the Green & Gold Gala on May 5 will go on sale.

Other announcements from Friends of Lane:

• A Behind-the-Scenes tour of Lane will take place March
• Friends of Lane has new sponsors, including Circle K.
• Friends of Lane has approved $24,000 in Teacher Grants.

Student Report

A new student representative will need to be elected next year, as one of the current representatives, Dalya Lessem Elnecave, will be graduating.

Principal Evaluation

The LSC’s Special Meeting for the Principal Evaluation has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 30. While the vast majority of the meeting will be closed session, the public will be able to participate in the parts of the meeting that are not closed session.

Community Surveys

Student, community and teacher surveys were sent out by the LSC at around 2 p.m. on Feb. 8.  The form closed last week. 

“We had kind of a dismal survey last year. Hopefully we’ll do a little better this year,” Chairperson Laura Symons said.

The next LSC meeting will be held March 9.