Gonzalo Zarazaga
A round of applause roared in the Tivoli theater as junior Gonzalo Zarazaga walked on stage to receive his trophy for his Student Silent Film Festival win last Wednesday.
Why the win? His outstanding, exceptional directing.
Rooted in Barcelona, Zarazaga is a force in America. He excels in his commitment to Varsity swim team, he engages precise skill for using a Blackmagic 4K film camera, and he carries extreme dedication to taking all AP classes since his first day of freshman year.
Gonzalo has a very specific vision when it comes to filmmaking. For instance, his sophomore year final spring project was a silent film about an upstairs mystery murder. He shot five months before it was due and spent those months editing. The eerie, tense film coupled with the suspenseful sound track made the movie extraordinary. He proceeded to submit this work to the best high school film festival in the world: All American High School Film Festival. No one else had ever done as cool of a project as this.
As a director, he always does an excellent job at making his specific vision come to life. He spends time with the actors preparing and rehearsing ahead of the shoot so when it comes time to capture video, he can give precise feedback with his keen eye for the missing gaps in delivery.
As a junior, Zarazaga has produced at least 20 films and that number is rapidly increasing. He has done a great job at sharing his unique voice on issues that matter through cinema, like the time he worked with the GPF foundation to create a narrative PSA on mitigating the use of fetanoyl. Zarazaga’s craft changes the lives of every viewer who watches his work.
His friend Sydney Keck has had the pleasure of having a variety of AP classes with him over the years.
“My favorite memory with Gonzalo is from last year when we were chemistry lab partners. We had to shoot a pipet “rocket” over seven feet forward using various chemicals, and we struggled immensely. I had almost given up, but Gonzalo was determined to crack the code. That night, he researched what mixtures got the rocket that far; the next day in class, sure enough, we got the rocket to travel 8.7 feet and everyone was amazed. His work ethic, support, and ingenuity are unparalleled. He is a great lab partner, an even better director, and, most of all, an outstanding friend,” Keck said.
Gonzalo is such a joy to be around and observing him putting in so much effort to everything he does encourages everyone else around him to, too.
Amari Tucker
Sophomore Amari Tucker is the definition of an outstanding student-athlete at our school that strives to spread his positivity around the school every day.
Amari consistently uplifts his peers and teammates. His ability to leave this mark on others, makes him truly a special person that we are lucky to have around the high school. In class he is always willing to help someone out or make them laugh.
“Amari is a good friend, peer and teammate. He never has a down mood and knows how to cheer everyone up,” sophomore Brady Harper says.
Tucker’s talents are also showcased on the basketball court. He was announced captain of his sophomore basketball team, and is treated with respect from his teammates and coaches. Amari’s passion for basketball inspires others on his team to be the best player they could be.
“Amari is a good teammate who will always focus on the positives no matter how hard it gets,” sophomore Madden Moore says.
A key trait to have that leads to a recipe of success is when times get difficult for a team, the true leaders will shine as a leader for their team, that is what Amari is known for.
“He is a really good leader and is always very vocal on and off the court and he is a great teammate,” Ethan Mohica said.
Amari has taken leaps as a student athlete this past year and it has shown. He is seen as a role model to his teammates and someone to trust throughout the season. Being a student athlete could be difficult at times, but Amari has shown to look past that and strive each and every day.
Kat Yakes
Every corner you turned last April you likely saw a life-sized Kat Yakes poster accompanied by “Vote for Kat” stickers. The campaigning work: She won Student Body President.
She has spent the past four years dedicated to the student council, but this year has taken her new position with pride.
Student body president comes with lots of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. Kat sits in on administrative meetings, planning school events, and getting new rules and or traditions passed.
Leadership skills seem to come naturally to Yakes. She’s the co-director of her non-profit holiday basket drive, has spent four years on the board of Fill-A-Heart 4 Kids, and has been a CROYA retreat leader for two retreats.
“The drive is a lot of fun. Kat is a super helpful person who makes the whole drive so much easier. She’s a great leader, and I think it definitely shows with how much we get done leading up to the drop off day,” said senior Graydon Duncan.
But it doesn’t stop there… Yakes spent a total of 60 hours as a camp counselor mentoring young teens on the subject of women in the workforce. She also has won not once but twice the Presidential Service award for completing more than 500 service hours.
Yakes is also the C.E.O of her business incubator company Safe Sorella, which made it to pitch night when it clinched one of the 4 spots available out of 16 teams.
“Kat is one of the most motivated people who has always kept the group on track to be successful. For the past year and a half she has always put Safe Sorella first prioritizing our company’s mission” said senior Owen Kohut.
Lastly, Yakes has participated in multiple clubs here at the high school, such as being the President for Student to Student, a leader for the Principal’s Advisory Council, a student representative for the Board of Education, as well as the LFHS Alumni Association.
It is safe to say Yakes will leave a lasting impact on the high school.
Mrs. Sara Dreiling
There’s a lot to admire about English teacher Mrs. Sara Dreiling, who is directing this weekend’s Winter Play, Babette’s Feast.
The student director for the show, sophomore Rex Morrison, most admires her imagination.
“She has a very creative imagination for what she puts into her shows,” Morrison said. “She has high expectations for her student directors, and I’ve definitely learned a lot from this experience.”
Others say they admire that Mrs. Dreiling treats each play as an opportunity for every student to learn as much as they can about acting and character development.
“Mrs. Dreiling has such a way of directing,” senior Declan Boyle said. “She does an incredible job of constructive criticism, and it always feels like she’s supportive of my acting and choices.”
This is Mrs. Dreiling’s second year as director of the Fall and Winter plays. Before that, she was an assistant director to Mr. Joe Pulio since she started working her in 2016.
From that moment, she made an immediate impression on her coworkers.
“It was the willingness to just help,” Ed Tech Mr. Corey Holmer said. “I had only been here a few years before her, she was big on just coming to the theater department and offering help.”
From that point on, Mr. Holmer and Mrs. Dreiling worked together as tech directors for the Frosh/Soph play up until last year. She was quick to offer solutions to the many problems that would arise. For example, during the 2018 production of Our Town, there was a desperate quest to find two wooden ladders for the set.
“Mrs. Dreiling reached out to a couple friends and within 24 hours we had access to five or six different ladders,” Holmer said. “We were able to go and pick them up and everything worked out fine.”
In the classroom, Mrs. Dreiling is seen as the teacher you can rely on.
“She was very warm and very inviting,” senior Natalie LaMartin said. “Whenever I had questions, she was very good at being receptive and open to them.”
Mrs. Dreiling does more than just radiate positivity to her students, she’s reliable to all that she works with.
“What Mrs. Dreiling is best at is just being a rock,” Holmer said. “She’s so good at staying calm and keeping all the drama away. That’s one thing I’ve always appreciated about her.”
Will “Vay” Vahey
Will “Vay” Vahey possesses many of the qualities of the stereotypical freshman: eagerness, curiosity, enthusiasm, ambition, etc. He also holds a few that most don’t.
Many people know Vahey as the “football guy” or the “lax bro,” but there’s a bigger part of Vay. For one , he has a unique palate for banter. People don’t enjoy his presence because of his style or knowledge. They are fond of him because of his sincere character.
“Will is super consistent. He’s dedicated to our program, which should not go underappreciated,” senior Lacrosse Captain Lucas Kroner said.
Freshmen can sometimes be pretty awkward and nervous when talking to upperclassmen and adults but not Vahey. Vahey goes out of his way to greet others, crack a joke, or maybe give a fist bump.
Many seniors know Vahey as the cheeky freshman that isn’t afraid to stand out. For example, he can be seen on Sunday mornings flying up and down the intramural courts in his white leg sleeve.
Among his fellow freshmen, Vahey is renowned by his peers, not for his brains or inspiring actions, but for the simple fact that he is an exemplary friend.
“Vay was one of my first friends. He’a always been a down to earth, hard working dude. If you’re not boys with Vay, you should be,” freshman Sawyer Rice said.
Friends like Vahey are what makes Lake Forest High School so special, and we are incredibly lucky to have him in our community.
Grandfather TT • Jan 31, 2025 at 5:17 pm
Hey Vey! I hope we are boys? Fist pumps and banter, love it. TT