A coeducational day school serving students JK-12

2020-21 Upper School Athletics Summer Season Round-up

In Latin’s history books, future students will not only read about what it was like to compete in athletics during a global pandemic, they will also see these record-breaking summer season accomplishments by the Romans during this unprecedented time!

Boys Baseball

Congratulations to the Boys Baseball team who won the ISL Conference and IHSA Regional championships this season! They played a solid game against Timothy Christian in the IHSA Sectional final but lost 8-12. All-Conference players this season are Matthew Shrake ’21, Ryan Kramer '22, Devin Abraham ’23, Patrick Shrake ’23 and Ashton Seymore ’24. ISL coaches voted Ryan Kramer '22 “Player of the Year” and Coach Scott Marinier “Coach of the Year”! This young team gained a lot of experience this season, which will take them far next year. We say goodbye to seniors Eli Aronson ’21, Timothy Devine ’21, Will Furlow ’21, Spencer Gunning ’21, Peter Jones ’21 and Matthew Shrake ’21.  Go Romans!

Boys baseball pitcher during game

 

 

Lacrosse

The Boys Lacrosse team entered its fourth year as a varsity program, led by seniors Shahab Kousheshi ’21, Henry Finkel ’21 and Charlie Weiss ’21. The team went 5-7 on the season, winning games over Northside College Prep, DePaul College Prep, and suffering three one-goal losses to Whitney Young, Highland Park HS and Lane Tech.  

Boys lacrosse team photo

 

The Girls Lacrosse team played their first season as a varsity sport in 2021. They competed against some very tough opponents, going 7-6 on the season. Alanna Madry ’22 was chosen as an All-Sectional athlete by the Illinois Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association. The whole team will be back next spring!

Girls lacrosse team cheer

 

 

Girls Soccer

Girls Soccer had an excellent season, tying for first place in the ISL! The team was led by eight senior 4-year award winners, including two Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-Sectional athletes: Alessandra Kaestner ’21 (1st team) and Malia Brandt ’21 (H.M.). Earning All-League honors are Malia Brandt ’21, Alessandra Kaestner ’21, Zoe Weiss ’22, Ava Falk ’23 and Eden Raviv  ’23. Good luck to all of our seniors: Claire Box ’21, Malia Brandt ’21, Eliza Bufferd ’21, Frances Hutchison ’21, Alessandra Kaestner ’21, Megan Lorenz ’21, Alexa Silverman ’21 and Tara Walsh ’21!

Girls soccer player chasing the ball

 

 

Girls Softball

The Girls Softball team went 4-6 on the season, taking second place in the ISL. All-League athletes are Maya Shroff ’21, Katie Hallinan ’24, Emery Sill ’24 and Maggie Zeiger ’24. Thanks to Maeve Healy ’21 and Maya Shroff ’21, our 4-year award-winning senior captains for leading the way! Congratulations to Coach Dave Gonzales for earning Coach of the Year in the Independent School League!

Girls softball player pitching during game

 

 

Track & Field

Boys Track & Field placed third in the ISL and fifth in Sectionals this season. Four members of the Boys Track & Field team competed in the State meet. All four earned All-State honors.

  • 1600m = Peter Bernhardt ’21
  • 300m Hurdles = Cole Fuller ’21
  • 1600m 3rd place = Ryan Hardiman ’22 
  • 1600m = Akili Parekh ’23

Thanks to our four 4-year award-winning seniors: George Alexandrakis ’21, Peter Berhhardt ’21, Henry Coleman ’21 and Cole Fuller ’21!

Athlete on the blocks at track and field race

 

The Girls Track & Field team brought home their first-ever 2021 IHSA Class 2A State championship. All-American athletes Ava Parekh ’22 (3200m) & Marianne Mihas ’21 (800m) were ranked nationally. Congratulations to all of these phenomenal athletes!

  • 4x800m Relay = State Champions - Bea Parr ’21, McLaine Leik ’23, McKenna Fellows ’22 & Marianne Mihas ’21
  • 3200m = State Champion - Ava Parekh ’22 & 7th Place - Olivia Syftestad ’21
  • 800m = State Champion - Marianne Mihas ’21 & 4th Place - Ava Parekh ’22
  • 400m = 2nd Place - Marianne Mihas ’21
  • 1600m = 2nd Place - Ava Parekh ’22 & 4th Place - Bea Parr ’21
  • 4x400m Relay = 5th place - McLaine Leik ’23, Ava Parekh ’22, McKenna Fellows ’22 & Marianne Mihas ’21
  • Shot Put = 8th Place - Alice Mihas ’23
  • Discus = 8th Place - Alice Mihas ’23

Additional State qualifiers were: Sabrina Hayes '22, Marin Creamer '22, Josephine Daab '21 and Charlotte O’Toole '21.

Girls Track & Field team winning State 2021

 

 

Boys Tennis

The Boys Tennis team brought home the 2021 IHSA Class 1A State championship for the first time in Latin history. They also won the ISL and Sectionals on their way to State. Congrats, Romans!

  • Boys Doubles = State Champions - Akshay Garapati ’23 & Kiran Garapati ’23
  • Boys Singles = 4th Place - Sujan Garapati ’21
  • Boys Singles = 5 points - Will Benford ’22
  • Boys Doubles = 4 points - Sam Cutinho ’22 & Antonio Feliciano ’21 
     
Boys tennis doubles team at match

 

 

Boys Volleyball

The Boys Volleyball team was on an 11-game winning streak when they earned the IHSA Regional championship this season! They matched up against Oak Park & River Forest High School in IHSA Sectionals. Unfortunately, the Romans lost (0-2), but there were some amazing rallies and outstanding individual and team play throughout the match. We say goodbye to our six dedicated seniors–all 4-year award winners: Wesley Eaton ’21, Darius Nabers ’21, Tushar Patel ’21, Nicholas Pranger ’21, Tejas Vadali ’21 and Sebastian Valenzuela ’21!

Boys volleyball team during game

 

 

Water Polo

Boys Water Polo was led this year by senior, 4-year award winners Cole Lindemann ’21 and Sam Szykowny ’21. They had a very small team but played with determination, losing to several of their opponents with much larger rosters by one goal. 

Boys water polo seniors

 

The Girls Water Polo Team was led by six seniors this season. They went 5-7 with great wins over Argo, Resurrection, Amundsen, Lockport and Jones/Payton. Congratulations to Elena Skender ’21 who earned All-Sectional honors! We say goodbye to seniors Vivienne Kaufman ’21, Freddi Mitchell ’21, Emily Mundy ’21, Zoe Smith ’21 and Rebecca Wanger ’21!

Girls water polo player in the pool

 

 

Sailing

Both Varsity and JV Sailing had a fantastic spring season this year! Varsity competed in six regattas, culminating in an appearance at the 2021 ISSA Mallory National Championship in Cleveland, Ohio, where the 20 top teams from across the country and USVI competed for the title. Unfortunately, the Romans didn’t reach the podium, but there was impressive team and individual sailing throughout the two-day event. JV had fun and learned many new skills sailing three regattas at the Chicago Yacht Club, including the Latin Regatta where our teams took second and fourth place in a fleet of 17. We say goodbye to our dedicated team captain Alex Laverty ’21!

Members from the Club Sailing Team

Athletics

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2020-21 Upper School Athletics Summer Season Round-up

In Latin’s history books, future students will not only read about what it was like to compete in athletics during a global pandemic, they will also see these record-breaking summer season accomplishments by the Romans during this unprecedented time!

Boys Baseball

Congratulations to the Boys Baseball team who won the ISL Conference and IHSA Regional championships this season! They played a solid game against Timothy Christian in the IHSA Sectional final but lost 8-12. All-Conference players this season are Matthew Shrake ’21, Ryan Kramer '22, Devin Abraham ’23, Patrick Shrake ’23 and Ashton Seymore ’24. ISL coaches voted Ryan Kramer '22 “Player of the Year” and Coach Scott Marinier “Coach of the Year”! This young team gained a lot of experience this season, which will take them far next year. We say goodbye to seniors Eli Aronson ’21, Timothy Devine ’21, Will Furlow ’21, Spencer Gunning ’21, Peter Jones ’21 and Matthew Shrake ’21.  Go Romans!

Boys baseball pitcher during game

 

 

Lacrosse

The Boys Lacrosse team entered its fourth year as a varsity program, led by seniors Shahab Kousheshi ’21, Henry Finkel ’21 and Charlie Weiss ’21. The team went 5-7 on the season, winning games over Northside College Prep, DePaul College Prep, and suffering three one-goal losses to Whitney Young, Highland Park HS and Lane Tech.  

Boys lacrosse team photo

 

The Girls Lacrosse team played their first season as a varsity sport in 2021. They competed against some very tough opponents, going 7-6 on the season. Alanna Madry ’22 was chosen as an All-Sectional athlete by the Illinois Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association. The whole team will be back next spring!

Girls lacrosse team cheer

 

 

Girls Soccer

Girls Soccer had an excellent season, tying for first place in the ISL! The team was led by eight senior 4-year award winners, including two Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-Sectional athletes: Alessandra Kaestner ’21 (1st team) and Malia Brandt ’21 (H.M.). Earning All-League honors are Malia Brandt ’21, Alessandra Kaestner ’21, Zoe Weiss ’22, Ava Falk ’23 and Eden Raviv  ’23. Good luck to all of our seniors: Claire Box ’21, Malia Brandt ’21, Eliza Bufferd ’21, Frances Hutchison ’21, Alessandra Kaestner ’21, Megan Lorenz ’21, Alexa Silverman ’21 and Tara Walsh ’21!

Girls soccer player chasing the ball

 

 

Girls Softball

The Girls Softball team went 4-6 on the season, taking second place in the ISL. All-League athletes are Maya Shroff ’21, Katie Hallinan ’24, Emery Sill ’24 and Maggie Zeiger ’24. Thanks to Maeve Healy ’21 and Maya Shroff ’21, our 4-year award-winning senior captains for leading the way! Congratulations to Coach Dave Gonzales for earning Coach of the Year in the Independent School League!

Girls softball player pitching during game

 

 

Track & Field

Boys Track & Field placed third in the ISL and fifth in Sectionals this season. Four members of the Boys Track & Field team competed in the State meet. All four earned All-State honors.

  • 1600m = Peter Bernhardt ’21
  • 300m Hurdles = Cole Fuller ’21
  • 1600m 3rd place = Ryan Hardiman ’22 
  • 1600m = Akili Parekh ’23

Thanks to our four 4-year award-winning seniors: George Alexandrakis ’21, Peter Berhhardt ’21, Henry Coleman ’21 and Cole Fuller ’21!

Athlete on the blocks at track and field race

 

The Girls Track & Field team brought home their first-ever 2021 IHSA Class 2A State championship. All-American athletes Ava Parekh ’22 (3200m) & Marianne Mihas ’21 (800m) were ranked nationally. Congratulations to all of these phenomenal athletes!

  • 4x800m Relay = State Champions - Bea Parr ’21, McLaine Leik ’23, McKenna Fellows ’22 & Marianne Mihas ’21
  • 3200m = State Champion - Ava Parekh ’22 & 7th Place - Olivia Syftestad ’21
  • 800m = State Champion - Marianne Mihas ’21 & 4th Place - Ava Parekh ’22
  • 400m = 2nd Place - Marianne Mihas ’21
  • 1600m = 2nd Place - Ava Parekh ’22 & 4th Place - Bea Parr ’21
  • 4x400m Relay = 5th place - McLaine Leik ’23, Ava Parekh ’22, McKenna Fellows ’22 & Marianne Mihas ’21
  • Shot Put = 8th Place - Alice Mihas ’23
  • Discus = 8th Place - Alice Mihas ’23

Additional State qualifiers were: Sabrina Hayes '22, Marin Creamer '22, Josephine Daab '21 and Charlotte O’Toole '21.

Girls Track & Field team winning State 2021

 

 

Boys Tennis

The Boys Tennis team brought home the 2021 IHSA Class 1A State championship for the first time in Latin history. They also won the ISL and Sectionals on their way to State. Congrats, Romans!

  • Boys Doubles = State Champions - Akshay Garapati ’23 & Kiran Garapati ’23
  • Boys Singles = 4th Place - Sujan Garapati ’21
  • Boys Singles = 5 points - Will Benford ’22
  • Boys Doubles = 4 points - Sam Cutinho ’22 & Antonio Feliciano ’21 
     
Boys tennis doubles team at match

 

 

Boys Volleyball

The Boys Volleyball team was on an 11-game winning streak when they earned the IHSA Regional championship this season! They matched up against Oak Park & River Forest High School in IHSA Sectionals. Unfortunately, the Romans lost (0-2), but there were some amazing rallies and outstanding individual and team play throughout the match. We say goodbye to our six dedicated seniors–all 4-year award winners: Wesley Eaton ’21, Darius Nabers ’21, Tushar Patel ’21, Nicholas Pranger ’21, Tejas Vadali ’21 and Sebastian Valenzuela ’21!

Boys volleyball team during game

 

 

Water Polo

Boys Water Polo was led this year by senior, 4-year award winners Cole Lindemann ’21 and Sam Szykowny ’21. They had a very small team but played with determination, losing to several of their opponents with much larger rosters by one goal. 

Boys water polo seniors

 

The Girls Water Polo Team was led by six seniors this season. They went 5-7 with great wins over Argo, Resurrection, Amundsen, Lockport and Jones/Payton. Congratulations to Elena Skender ’21 who earned All-Sectional honors! We say goodbye to seniors Vivienne Kaufman ’21, Freddi Mitchell ’21, Emily Mundy ’21, Zoe Smith ’21 and Rebecca Wanger ’21!

Girls water polo player in the pool

 

 

Sailing

Both Varsity and JV Sailing had a fantastic spring season this year! Varsity competed in six regattas, culminating in an appearance at the 2021 ISSA Mallory National Championship in Cleveland, Ohio, where the 20 top teams from across the country and USVI competed for the title. Unfortunately, the Romans didn’t reach the podium, but there was impressive team and individual sailing throughout the two-day event. JV had fun and learned many new skills sailing three regattas at the Chicago Yacht Club, including the Latin Regatta where our teams took second and fourth place in a fleet of 17. We say goodbye to our dedicated team captain Alex Laverty ’21!

Members from the Club Sailing Team

Athletics

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Latin Students Earn Prestigious Art and Writing Awards

Twenty-five Latin students were recently recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in conjunction with its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The entries they submitted for the regional competition earned a total of 42 awards, including three Gold Keys, 18 Silver Keys and 21 Honorable Mentions. Below are the names of the students, the awards they won and the categories in which the awards were received. 

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards honor "the vision, ingenuity and talent of our nation’s youth, and provide opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated." You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.artandwriting.org/

We want to congratulate all of the award winners on being recognized for their amazing work. We also want to thank our teachers for all they do to nurture the talents of our students.

Art Award Winners

  • Lyla G. - Gold Key (Drawing & Illustration); Silver Key (Design)
  • Thomas A. - Silver Key (Photography)
  • Malia C. - Silver Key (Sculpture) 
  • Keya D. - Silver Key (Photography)
  • Ben L. - Silver Key (Photography) 
  • Wyatt P. - Two Silver Keys (Drawing & Illustration)
  • Gideon B. - Honorable Mention (Photography)
  • Emily G. - Honorable Mention (Sculpture) 
  • Michael G. - Honorable Mention (Photography)
  • Miles H. - Honorable Mention (Photography)
  • Edie P. - Honorable Mention (Photography) 
  • Tomas P. - Honorable Mention (Photography)
  • Carolena T. - Honorable Mention (Photography)

Writing Award Winners

  • Keya D. - Gold Key and Silver Key (Journalism); Honorable Mention (Poetry); Honorable Mention (Flash Fiction)
  • Rohin S. - Gold Key (Journalism) 
  • Noa B. - Two Silver Keys (Poetry) 
  • Malia C. - Silver Key (Short Story)
  • Hannah D. - Silver Key and Two Honorable Mentions (Poetry) 
  • Scarlet G. - Silver Key and Honorable Mention (Journalism); Silver Key (Poetry); Honorable Mention (Critical Essay) 
  • Miles H. - Two Silver Keys and Three Honorable Mentions (Poetry); Silver Key and an Honorable Mention (Flash Fiction) 
  • Zoe H. - Silver Key (Personal Essay & Memoir)
  • Laila C. - Honorable Mention (Poetry)
  • Kate E. - Honorable Mention (Poetry)
  • Kai G. - Honorable Mention (Personal Essay & Memoir) 
  • Isadora S. - Honorable Mention (Critical Essay)
     
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First Grade Flag Project

Latin first grade students started the year building their community. It was important to establish to ensure all feel safe and comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, asking for help and supporting one another. 

As students listened to some of their favorite songs, they got inspired. The song, “Wave your Flag” by K’Nann, in particular, sparked a lot of inspiration. Some may be familiar with this song as it is the anthem of the World Cup. As the first graders listened to the song, they thought it might be fun to create their own flags. 

As students began to explore their identities and community, they discovered that flags often represent groups of people who are related in some way. For example, city flags can represent folks who live in the same city. Team flags can represent fans of a particular team. State/country flags represent people who come from those places.

Each student then created their own flag to represent pieces of their identity. The process started with the exploration of identity, authenticity, symbols, and flags. A lot of time was spent considering the difference between things we like/love, and pieces of our identity. As an abstract concept, teachers worked with students in small groups to help them understand the differences. Students then filled out an identity bubble map and began the process of designing their flags. Each student received a planning sheet to select important colors, symbols and shapes they wanted to include in their flags. 

After each individual flag was created, the grade level came together as a community, to explore how they could create one class/community flag to represent all individuals in the group. This process worked on skills such as compromise, collaboration and communication. The students problem-solved and suggested ways to include everyone in the community. The outcome being one community flag to represent the Latin first grade communities. 

Take a look at the flags students made to reflect their voices and choices. 

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US Marine Science Uses the City as the Classroom

New to the upper school Science course offerings this year, is a Marine Science course taught by Mr. Wisnieski. 

Students in this course are exploring the aquatic environments near Latin and around the city. In September they took a kayaking trip to the Wild Mile, a portion of the Chicago River that is being rehabilitated by the Urban Rivers organization.

Students toured the river on kayaks and studied the organisms living in the new habitats that have been constructed. More recently, students monitored the water quality in Lake Michigan. 

Take a look at the #opportunities found inside and outside the classroom at Latin.

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Do You Know? René Moreno

Get to know René Moreno, Lower School Visual Art Teacher.

FAVORITE QUOTE
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Pablo Picasso

EDUCATION
I earned a BFA from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and majored in Illustration.

Position and title at LatinI am the Visual Arts teacher in the Lower School. This is my 5th year at Latin. I was here as an assistant art teacher for 3 years while I worked on my teaching certification, and I am so happy to be back!

I also find a lot of joy in working with the kids. I love their eagerness to try new things and their enthusiasm for learning.
What are your favorite things about Latin? I am constantly inspired by my colleagues, who are excellent at what they do and are so passionate about their work. I also find a lot of joy in working with the kids. I love their eagerness to try new things and their enthusiasm for learning.

Why did you decide that you wanted to work at a school? As an illustrator, I visited schools and libraries to promote my books and I usually taught a little art project at those visits. I loved working with kids, so I decided to get my teaching certification.

Who is your favorite artist?
It’s a tie between Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh.

What was the last good book you read?I am currently reading a wonderful book called Everything Sad is Untrue, an autobiographical novel about an Iranian refugee growing up in Oklahoma. It’s funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

What are your hobbies and interests?I enjoy collecting children’s books, walking outside, listening to music, and practicing yoga.

What was your first job?After college, I worked several jobs all at once: I worked as a freelance illustrator for children’s books, worked as a waitress and barista, and also painted silk for a fashion designer.

What is one piece of advice you would want to tell your lower school self? You can do hard things!

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