Lane’s Local Student Council (LSC) met Jan. 16 to gain footing on current and future matters involving enrollment in classes, distribution of resources, and funding. A total of ten board members were present.

Commencing the meeting was seventh-grader Avi Kaplan stepping forward in a suit. Kaplan was honored for his excellence in expert level chess as the top-rated 13-year-old chess player in Illinois, and 48th nationally. Kaplan has a perfect 4-0 record.  

Programming

With the upcoming programming season, Mr. Tennison introduced the new programs. This was presented to Friends of Lane, the counsel board, and LTAC parents as well. Some potential classes students can sign up for next year include a undisclosed new computer science class and Southeast Asian literature. Along with the new classes, Tennison proposed a number of focus points with facility upkeep: new flooring in rooms, new sound in the auditorium, and building out the Think Lab. Parent contribution is a large part of funding.

Community feedback will be distributed at the end of the semester.

Fundraising

Fundraising was also thoroughly discussed. Tennison attributes fundraising success to support from Friends of Lane and running the school store, and that these supports helps with various things such as vendors. There will be a district-wide principal gathering in February. Next Friday will be a fundraiser for teachers and coaches run by Ultimate Frisbee, Robotics and the boy’s’ assistive swim coach. 

Memorials

A rededication to Vietnam veterans will take place in May this year. A primary focus is to reach out to Lane alum families and include more veterans that have not been previously acknowledged in the assemblies or on the memorials in the Memorial Garden. A suggestion was made to create a plexiglass list of every veteran that has gone to Lane as part of the Garden; however, the idea was mainly supported by an LSC member who was not present, and the idea was discussed briefly before being postponed for discussion at a later date. Mr. Lewis, a history teacher at Lane, will be helping the dedication assembly. 

Budgeting

Finally, checks were issued at the end of the meeting. Emily Haite, the LSC chairperson, said that the LSC is waiting for the raise from the strike to be put into effect to have an accurate depiction of the budget. She is hoping everything will be in place by Feb. 16, but said it is more likely to be after Feb. 28. The board is looking to allocate more funding for staff salaries and sporting events.

Currently, there is a 1:1 Chromebook to classroom ratio in social studies, English and computer science classes. This is not the case for science classrooms. The LSC proposed three Chromebook carts for these classes, which would total to about 50-60 computers, Haite said. Funding was also proposed for senior graduation, prom, and English novel orders as well. Fundraisers for Lane’s Best Buddies program and an undisclosed abroad trip for the art department were also proposed. All proposals were approved.

The meeting was adjourned with the distribution of forms to run for the LSC board in their upcoming election on Apr. 22. Chatter filled the room as the counsel members exited.