Lake Forest School District 67 announced that fourth-grade students in Mrs. Hanson’s class at Everett Elementary used stop motion animation to demonstrate how plant parts function, creating videos to share with first-grade students.
The project brought together creative, technological, and scientific skills in a practical learning setting. Funding from the Spirit of 67 Foundation provided new iPad stands that helped students document each stage of their animations, according to the announcement by School District 67.
The Spirit of 67 Foundation, established in 1985, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding educational enrichment in Lake Forest School District 67. Supporting Cherokee, Everett, Sheridan Elementary Schools, and Deer Path Middle School, the foundation raises funds through donations and events to provide educational and cultural opportunities beyond standard school funding. Each year, staff, students, and community members submit grant applications, which are reviewed and awarded in April. Since its founding, the Spirit of 67 has funded nearly 800 grants totaling over $6.5 million, enhancing student experiences in language arts, fine arts, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), wellness, and more through innovative programs and resources according to its website.
Everett Elementary School serves approximately 362 students in kindergarten through fourth grade at 1111 Everett School Rd. in Lake Forest. The school was established in 1914 and rebuilt in 1957. Its colors are red and white; the mascot is the Eagle; Principal Dr. Megan Eigenrauch leads the school; office hours run Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; parents can report absences through their PowerSchool parent account according to Everett Elementary School.
School District 67 serves about 1,600 students across three elementary schools—Cherokee Elementary (K-4), Everett Elementary (K-4), Sheridan Elementary (Pre-K-4)—and Deer Path Middle School (5-8). The district emphasizes inclusive education and personalized learning experiences supporting academic as well as social-emotional development according to Lake Forest Schools. The district represents Lake County schools including Cherokee Elementary School, Deer Path Middle School East and West, Everett Elementary School, and Sheridan Elementary School according to the Illinois Report Card.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Lake Forest School District 67 has a teaching staff of 156 with an average salary of $79,359 before pension contributions; women make up about 85.6 percent of teachers while men comprise about 14.4 percent; no teachers had more than ten absences during a school year according to ISBE. The district’s student population is reported as being approximately 86 percent White with smaller percentages identifying as Black (0.4 percent), Hispanic (2.2 percent), or Asian (6 percent) according to ISBE. In the most recent data available for spending per student from ISBE for the year 2020 it was $33,815 per student for a total expenditure of $56 million according to ISBE. There were zero chronically truant students enrolled during that period—a chronic truancy rate of zero percent compared with a statewide average of nearly ten percent according to ISBE.
