Arts

It’s been another successful year at Latin, filled with remarkable accomplishments and memorable milestones. Below are some of the highlights that made this school year so special.

Athletics

• Latin’s varsity teams and student-athletes won the following titles during the 2024-25 school year:
  • Independent School League championship - baseball, boys cross country, Francesca M. in girls cross country, field hockey, Jack Z. in boys golf, girls soccer, boys tennis as a team along with Kiyan A. in singles and Jake G. and Mark T. in doubles, girls and boys track and field
  • Regional championship - baseball, girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, field hockey, Jack Z. in boys golf, girls soccer, and girls and boys volleyball
  • Sectional championship - girls cross country, field hockey, Malia C. and Nicola K. in doubles for girls tennis, boys tennis as a team along with Kiyan A. in singles and Jake G. and Mark T. in doubles, girls volleyball
     
• Student-athletes and coaches earned the following individual honors during the 2024-25 season: 
  • Eight All-State selections
  • Eight ISL Player of the Year selections
  • Four ISL Coaching Staff of the Year selections
  • Nearly 20 All-Sectional selections
  • More than 35 All-Conference selections
     
• The following teams, student-athletes and coaches achieved milestones during the 2024-25 school year:
  • The field hockey team earned a trip to the final four for the first time in program history. 
  • The boys and girls track and field teams won ISL championships in the same season for the first time in approximately 40 years.
  • The boys volleyball team won back-to-back regional titles for the first time in program history. 
  • Nate W.’s swim in the 100-yard breaststroke at sectionals broke a school record dating back to 2006.
  • Girls basketball coach Max Rouse earned his 400th career victory.
  • The club squash team reached the finals of the U.S. High School Nationals for the first time ever. 
  • The club sailing team won the Illinois State Championship.
     
• Latin’s sports program had several additional highlights during the 2024-25 school year:
  • Eight student-athletes signed letters of intent to play collegiate athletics. 
  • The Chicago Latin Swim Club (CLSC) qualified 12 student-athletes for the Illinois regional championship meet. In that group, five placed in the top eight in many of their individual events at the regional meet, and two earned times that qualified them for the state tournament.
  • The boys swimming team had personal bests in every event at sectionals. 
  • The boys soccer team earned the ISL Sportsmanship award for the dedication and sportsmanship they exhibited throughout the season.

Performing and Visual Arts

• Twelve Latin students were selected for the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) honor choirs, marking the highest number of students chosen from our school in recent years. 
   
• Middle School student Neysa P. was selected for the ILMEA All-State Junior Honors Chorus and performed at the Illinois Music Education Conference.
   
• Jeremiah W.’s short film “Cinephile” won “Best in Show” in the Time Arts category at the Illinois High School Art Exhibition. He was one of several Upper School students who represented Latin at the event. 
   
• Eight Upper School students were 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 12 awards, including three Gold Keys, four Silver Keys and five Honorable Mentions.
   
• Upper School student Wyatt P. earned an Honorable Mention in the Chicago Public Library’s 10th Annual Teen Winter Challenge art competition. His artwork will be featured in the library’s print catalog and displayed in a special exhibition at the Harold Washington Library Center.
   
• Upper School students Jonah K., Izzy S., and Ajay S. were members of the Lookingglass Young Ensemble that performed in the theatre company’s production of “The Portrait of Madame X.”
   
• Middle School student Sahana M. was part of an elite group of singers from Uniting Voices of Chicago who performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of famed conductor Klaus Mäkelä.
   
• Upper School student Edie P. performed with the Northeastern Illinois University orchestra after winning the Chicago Chamber Music Festival’s 10th Annual Concerto Competition.

Clubs and Activities 

• The Student Philanthropy Initiative, a project founded and run by Latin students, earned the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Chicago Chapter. This award is presented to “a youth leader or leaders, or a youth-generated project and its team, having demonstrated a significant impact on the Chicago community.” 
   
• Upper School students Natalie A. (Superior in Editorial Writing), Sofia G. (Superior in Commentary Writing), Scarlet G. (Excellent in News Editing/Headline/Current Events) and Edie P. (Honorable Mention in Feature Writing) won awards in writing and layout contests held in conjunction with the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. 
   
• Upper School students won five Superior Achievement awards and three Excellent Achievement awards in conjunction with the annual McCormick Foundation High School Media Competition hosted by the Scholastic Press Association of Chicago.
   
• Upper School students Alexa N. and Teddy L. won awards in conjunction with the 2025 Private School Journalism Association (PSJA) Contest. Alexa took second place in the Sophomore of the Year category, while Teddy took third place in the Designer of the Year category.
   
• The Upper School Robotics Team tied for fourth place at their regional tournament and took first in the Control Award, which recognizes excellence in autonomous code and strategy.
   
• The Middle School’s varsity Science Olympiad team has a tremendous showing at the state tournament. The team finished eighth overall, medaled in 10 individual events following top five finishes, and earned top 10 placements in an additional 10 events.
   
• Seven Upper School students earned Best Delegate awards and another received an Honorable Mention at the Harvard Model Congress conference. 
   
• Upper School students Graham S. and Kai G. both earned Honorable Mention awards during the Model UN Invitational Conference (CSMUN XV) hosted by Carl Sandburg.
   
• The Model UN Club hosted Latin's first-ever invitational conference (LSCMUN I), which drew approximately 220 delegates from Chicago-area high schools.

Faculty and Staff

• Cat Curry, the Director of Latin 360°, won the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois chapter of the American Camp Association. This prestigious award is given to people who “demonstrate significant, long-term and impactful leadership and service to ACA Illinois and the camp profession.”
   
• Upper School English teachers Jim Joyce and Ann McGlinn moderated discussions during the Annual Printers Row Lit Fest, which is the largest free outdoor literary showcase in the Midwest.
   
• Annessa Staab and Katie Vautier from Latin's Enrollment Management team were invited to present at the Enrollment Management Association's annual conference. Their session, which was titled "The Evolution of Latin's Lower School Admissions Process: From ABCs & 123s to Standardization," offered an interactive exploration of how Latin's admissions process has evolved. 

Alumni

• Eliza Lampert ’24 made school history by earning the prestigious Story of the Year award from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for an opinion piece she wrote for The Forum in October 2023. This was the first time a Latin student received this national recognition as part of NSPA’s Individual Awards, which “honor the nation’s best scholastic journalism.”
   
• Nora Cheng ’21 and her band Horsegirl released their second album, “Phonetics On and On,” on February 14. The group was profiled in Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair; and had their album reviewed by publications such as SPIN magazine and The Guardian.
   
• Helen Hu '19 won the individual title on the balance beam at the NCAA women's gymnastics championships. Her first-place finish on beam helped her University of Missouri team take third place overall and earn a final national ranking of No. 3—the highest ever for any Mizzou women's sports team in school history.
   
• Marianne Mihas ’21, who was captain of Harvard Track and Field, and Bea Parr ’21, who was captain of Middlebury Track and Field, both earned First Team All-American honors in the distance medley relay.
   
• Catie Cronister ‘16 was named one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 Professional and Philanthropic Leaders for 2025. This honor, presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, recognizes young professionals who are making a name for themselves in their careers and helps them grow into community leaders and influencers.

Additional Student Accomplishments 

• Upper School student Theodore T. earned several impressive accolades for his independent research design project "Assisting EMS with drones in underserved areas." He won a silver award at the Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences (IJAS) Regional Fair, was selected to present at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences, and was named a semi-finalist for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. His work also received a Gold designation and an Exceptional Project in Engineering award at the IJAS State Science Exposition.
   
• Upper School student Edie P. qualified for the Illinois History Day Competition with her research paper “The Legal Blueprint of Rome: Rights and Responsibilities in the Twelve Tables,” which she completed through Latin’s Independent Study Program under the supervision of Upper School teachers Sarah Landis and Matthew June.
   
• Lower School student Luke M. earned a perfect score on the WordMasters Challenge, which is a national competition for students in grades three through eight that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.
   
• Lower School student Connor H. took fourth place in the Under 400 (K-8) section at the 156th Kumbaya Chess Tournament, which helped Latin earn a third place finish at the event.
   
• Upper School student Kerry K. was crowned Miss Windy City’s Teen.
   
• Upper School student Theodore T. medaled in the Cadet Men’s Epee event at USA Fencing's annual Junior Olympics and North American Cup. This prestigious competition drew approximately 350 qualified fencers from across the country.
   
• Upper School student Isabella H. had an incredible year in the world of horse riding that was highlighted by a first place finish in her event at the 2024 UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show, and a second place finish in her event at the 2024 World’s Championship Horse Show held during the Kentucky State Fair.
   
• Lower School student Caden H. had a great showing at the 2025 Men’s Eastern National Championships for gymnastics. He placed seventh out of 30 in the all-around thanks, in large part, to his sixth place finish in the parallel bars and seventh place finish on the floor. His performance earned him an invite to the United States of America Gymnastics Future Stars Development Camp.
   
• Middle School student Aryana M., a member of the Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club, qualified for six regional swim events during the recent short-course season and earned a spot on the state relay team.

 

Senior Wyatt P. earned an Honorable Mention in the Chicago Public Library’s 10th Annual Teen Winter Challenge art competition. Out of more than 220 submissions, Wyatt’s artwork was one of just 25 selected to receive a monetary award, be featured in the library’s print catalog, and be displayed in a special exhibition at the Harold Washington Library Center that will be unveiled at a gala in May.

Please join us in congratulating Wyatt on this outstanding accomplishment!

 

In January, we shared that several of our Upper School students would be representing Latin at the Illinois High School Art Exhibition. We are excited to announce that one of them, Jeremiah W., won “Best in Show” in the Time Arts category for his short film “Cinephile.” The judge who reviewed “Cinephile” and selected it for recognition said this about the film: “A love letter to cinema! This film grabbed me from the start. Good shots highlighting the environment. When the dialogue began after 30+ seconds I was totally focused on what might be the statement of the film. Your script was excellent.” You can check out Jeremiah’s film here.

Congratulations, Jeremiah! We are incredibly proud of you and your accomplishment. 

 

The knowledge and artistic talent of our junior kindergarten students were on full display this week as they exhibited their amazing work in conjunction with the annual JK Art Museum.

The museum is the culmination of an eight-week unit of study that is devoted to learning about art and design. The students study artists of different abilities and cultural backgrounds, explore the techniques and media they utilized to create their work, and discover the impact they had on society and culture. The students then use the information about these artists to produce pieces that reflect or emulate their styles. These pieces are ultimately put on display in the museum, with the junior kindergartners serving as docents for the special guests (e.g., parents/guardians, classmates, faculty and staff, etc.) who come to visit.

Although the unit is focused primarily on art, the teachers also use it to:

• Strengthen the other critical skills being taught in class (e.g., mathematics, literacy, public speaking, fine motor, etc.);
• Build upon the work that is being done in the areas of social and emotional learning; and
• Promote the importance of inclusivity and personal expression.

We want to compliment our students on the quality of their incredible work, and congratulate them on the success of the museum. We also want to thank our junior kindergarten teachers for all they do to nurture the creativity of our students and support their learning.

To view more photos from the art museum, click here.