Upper School
Latin emphasizes self-advocacy and empowers students to ask questions and explore, not to study and regurgitate answers.
During the upper school years, our students make deep connections with their teachers and their peers. They become part of a tight-knit community committed to learning and discovering their talents and passion.
Latin students actively shape their academic program. The upper school curriculum begins with everything you would expect in a college preparatory high school—literature and history surveys, biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus, geometry, language. But Latin takes it a step beyond. We offer our students exceptional educational opportunities and ask them to dig deep, think critically and commit themselves to fully pursuing their intellectual passions both inside and outside the classroom.
Latin’s educational approach is student-centered and individualized. By understanding how each child learns best, our teachers help students identify their passions and take on new challenges.
Latin students love learning. They are encouraged to do, to create, to try and to fail. The focus is on the process, not the outcome, which helps students build resilience, remain intrinsically motivated and succeed.
Around the Upper School
The upper school athletics teams had a successful spring season! Check out their highlights and accomplishments.
Boys Baseball
- Independent School League Champions
- Illinois High School Association Regional Champions
- All League: Sean Episcope '22, Ryan Kramer '22 (Player of the Year), Ben Flerlage '23, Patrick Shrake '23, Ashton Seymore '24
Girls Lacrosse
- All Sectional: Reese Benford '24
Girls Soccer
- Illinois High School Association Regional Champions
- All League: Ella Reese-Clauson '22 (1st Team), Zoe Weiss '22 (1st Team), Ava Falk '23 (Honorable Mention)
- All Sectional: Ella Reese-Clauson '22 (Honorable Mention), Zoe Weiss '22 (1st Team)
Girls Softball
- All League: Maggie Zeiger '24
Boys Tennis
- Independent School League Champions
- Illinois High School Association Sectional Champions
- Illinois High School Association State Champions
- All League: Will Benford '22, Sam Cutinho '22, Joseph Gorman '22, Preston Rutledge '22, Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23, Zuhair Alsikafi '24, Cole Silverman '24
- All Sectional: Will Benford '22, Sam Cutinho '22, Preston Rutledge '22, Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23, Zuhair Alsikafi '24
- All State: Will Benford '22 (Doubles State Champions), Sam Cutinho '22 (Doubles State Champions), Preston Rutledge '22, Akshay Garapati '23, Kiran Garapati '23, Zuhair Alsikafi '24
Boys Track & Field
- All League: Ryan Hardiman '22 (Athlete of the Year)
- All Sectional: Kai Lugo '22, Jackson Ballard '23, Akili Parekh '23, Alika Lugo '24, Charlie Steffen '24, Ben Gibson '25, Daniel Goodman '25
- All State: Ryan Hardiman '22 (2nd Place), Akili Parekh '23
Girls Track & Field
- Independent School League Champions
- Illinois High School Association Sectional Champions
- All League: Coaching Staff of the Year, Ava Parekh '22, McLaine Leik '23, Alice Mihas '23, Mia Kotler '25
- All Sectional: Ava Parekh '22, Alice Mihas '23, Tatum Kamin '25, Mia Kotler '25
- All State: Ava Parekh '22, Mia Kotler '25
Boys Water Polo
- All Sectional: Henry Rose '22 (2nd Team)
Girls Water Polo
- All Sectional: Lauren Valentin '22
Athletics
- Around School
- Athletics
- Community & Traditions
- upper school
We would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the faculty and staff who will be leaving Latin this year for their service to the school. We wish you well in your next adventures!
Upper School
Shannon Barker-Fivelson, Upper School English
Joe Edwards, Upper School Dean
Bradley Leshem, Upper School Science Lab Manager
Lang Kanai, Upper School English
Tim Kendrick, Upper School Mathematics
Stephen Wright, Upper School Learning Resources
Middle School
Pamela Buchanan Miller (retiree), Middle School Counselor
Tom Canright (retiree), Middle School Mathematics
Gabriel Di Genarro, Middle and Upper School Vocal Music
Jeff Newmark (retiree), Middle School Mathematics
Lower School
Terri Eaton, Senior Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Brenda V.H. Friedman (retiree), Lower School Art
Patrick Huett, Lower School Math Interventionist
Cameron Pilcher, First Grade Lead Teacher
Meghan Smith, Third Grade Lead Teacher
Brigitte Viard, First Grade Lead Teacher
LS Assistant Teachers:
Grace Bernard
Megan Friesen
Caroline Holling
Lily Kawer
Michelle Martinez
Elizabeth Mintz
Anthony Mucia
Janyl Romero
Karen Shields
Levi Shrader
Jessica Weed
Staff
Janessa Butler, Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving
Annika Cole, Development and Alumni Relations Coordinator
Randall Dunn, Head of School
Hamdi Hachim (retiree), Facilities
Anne Hobbs (retiree), Director of Development
Caroline Hufstader, Associate Director of Development, Annual Giving
Jamie McInerney, Athletics Operations Coordinator
Kristin Provencher, Assistant to the Head of School
Liqui Scruggs, Reception
Community & Traditions
- Around School
- Community & Traditions
- lower school
- middle school
- upper school
Lower School Computer Science and Tech Integration Specialist Fiona Deeney, Middle School Technology Coordinator Mike Demopoulos and Upper School Innovation Studio Manager Shane Enderle offered an inside look at Latin's maker spaces for parents/guardians.
At the start of the event, the team shared information about each division's maker space and projects created in them. Then they gave a tour of the upper school maker space to show some of the equipment and supplies students can access in all three divisions.
Upper School
EQUIPMENT
3D Printers
Vinyl Cutters
Laser Cutter
CNC Router
Soldering Irons and accessories
iPad Pro’s with Apple Pencils
VR Headset
SOFTWARE
Adobe Suite
Illustrator
Photoshop
In Design
Fusion 360
Sketchbook Pro
Procreate
Silhouette Studio
Mint Studio
Middle School
EQUIPMENT
3D Printer (x3)
Vinyl Cutter (x2)
Laser Cutter
CNC Router
MacBook Air (x2)
SOFTWARE
PrusaSlicer
Silhouette Studio
Mint Studio
iMovie
Lower School
EQUIPMENT
3D Printers
Vinyl Cutter
Laser Cutter
Digital Embroidery Machine
Sewing Machines
LittleBits Pro Library and STEAM Kits
SOFTWARE
Doodle 3D
TurtleStitch
Silhouette Studio
Mint Studio
Drawing Pad
Afterward, parents/guardians got the opportunity to laser engrave on a pre-cut wood roman head. They also visited stations to make leather key chains, play with Little Bits electronics from the lower school, see embroidery and sewing machines in action, and a few physical projects that students have created.
The maker spaces at Latin aid students with designing and problem-solving, as well as develop skills, talents, thinking and mental rigor.
Academics
- Academics
- Around School
- lower school
- middle school
- upper school
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, upper school project week is back! Students chose to spend the week on one of the 25 in-town projects or 11 out-of-town projects.
The in-town offerings included:
- Ad-RAP-tation: the Latin School and Q Brothers' Collective
- Art and Anatomy
- Chicago: Walking, Food, and Art
- Code Your Own 2D Games and Build a Mini Arcade Cabinet
- Curling in Chicago
- Cycle Chicago: Riding & Wrenching
- Dancing with culture
- Design a Chicago Bike Tour
- El mundo Latino in Chicago: An Exploration of Chicago's Latinx Community
- Exploring Chicago’s Queer History
- Find Your Inner Chef
- Habitat for Humanity
- Just for Kicks
- Make Your Escape (Room)
- Making Music
- PADI Scuba Diving Certification and Training
- Sports Marketing: A Strategic Perspective
- Survivor
- Theatre in Chicago
- The Greatest City in the World Chicago Gospel
- Treemendous Forest Preserves
- Urban Agriculture
- Wellness: Mind & Body
- What Makes a Neighborhood?: Art, Advocacy, and Food
- Yarn Bombing
The out-of-town offerings included:
- Canyoneering & Rock Climbing Adventure
- Civil Rights Trail 2022
- Coral Reef Experience in Florida Keys
- Cycling Through the Sonoran Desert
- Detroit: Invention and Reinvention in a Great American City
- Exploring the Pacific: Oceanography of Southern California
- Latin Iditarod: Dogsledding
- Mountain Biking in Moab
- The Ancestral Heritage of The Land of Enchantment
- The Raw & The Cooked: A Literary Feast in Michigan
- There is No Business Like Show Business!: LA TV & Film
Check out more photos and videos from our PWeek take over on Latin's Instagram @latinschoolofchicago at #latinpweek.
Around School
- Around School
- Community & Traditions
- upper school
How We Approach Teaching and Learning
We are a community of learners. We strive to grow as students, as educators, and as caring and engaged members of our Latin community and the amazing city of Chicago. Our students learn from the past, focus on the present, and prepare for the future.
Experience Academic Excellence
A Wide Variety of Courses and Innovative Electives
178
upper school courses offered
Small Classes
Small class size encourages continual interaction and sharing of ideas.
- average class size: 14
- student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1
Strong Teacher/Student Relationships
Teachers are passionate about their subject areas and are available to students inside and outside the classroom.
Freedom to Pursue a Passion and Create Your Own Class.
If you have a passion for languages, for instance, you can double up. Take French and Chinese, Latin or Spanish for example.
Students can develop independent study courses where they work one-on-one with a faculty member on a self-designed curriculum.
I understood the value of this education first hand when I went off to college. My persistence and strong desire to learn and connect with my professors was a reflection of the close relationships I made with my teachers at Latin.
I love the way that Latin accepts everyone. No matter race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc., Latin is always accepting and welcoming to everyone.
At Latin, I value the project-based learning where students are able to take their own interests outside of school and bring them into the classroom and share their passions with others authentically.
Experiential Learning
Learning at Latin is experiential and project-based, including simulations, mock trials and hands-on lab work.
Examples of experiential learning:
- tenth grade Nuremberg Trials simulation
- senior projects
- Project Week
100%
percentage of students who have taken different academic paths through the upper school in the past ten years
I chose to become a student at Latin because I am interested in a wide range of topics that expand far beyond the traditional academics curriculum, and Latin has fulfilled that expectation vey well.
FAQ
- How do you support students new to the school?
- How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?
- There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?
- What is Latin’s schedule?
- How big are classes?
- How many AP courses does Latin offer?
- Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?
- Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?
- What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?
How do you support students new to the school?
How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?
There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?
What is Latin’s schedule?
How big are classes?
How many AP courses does Latin offer?
Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?
Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?
What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?
Do you have questions? We would love to hear from you.

Nick Baer
Titles:
Upper & Middle School Performing Arts Department Chair, Upper Performing Arts Faculty
Degrees:
B.A. University of Illinois

Suzanne Callis
Titles:
Dean of Students, Upper School English Faculty
Degrees:
B.A. Keene State College
M.A. Middlebury College
M.A. Middlebury College

Timothy Cronister
Titles:
Director of Student Life
Degrees:
B.A. Haverford College
M.A. New York University
M.A. New York University

Bridget Hennessy
Titles:
Dean of Students & Upper School History Faculty, Upper School History Faculty
Degrees:
B.A. Loyola University-New Orleans
M.A. University of New Orleans
M.A. University of New Orleans

Kristine Von Ogden
Titles:
Upper School Director
Degrees:
B.A. University of Chicago
M.A. New York University
M.A. New York University
upper school
Excellence. Integrity. Community.
