After 22 years of serving as a teacher, coach, and active member of the Lake Forest community, Chuck Spagnoli has made the decision to retire from LFHS. His most significant contributions have come through his leadership as the head Varsity Football coach and as an Integrated Wellness teacher.
Although he plans to remain the head coach of the Varsity Football team this upcoming season, he is finishing his final year as a teacher of Integrated Wellness, Woodworking, Driver’s Education, and Strength and Conditioning.
It may surprise people to learn that, beyond his success of being a coach, driving his players to excel and leading the Scouts to some of their most successful seasons, Spagnoli also works closely with the most vulnerable students at LFHS, with a deep commitment to building meaningful relationships with everyone he engages with.
Last year, the team went 9-3 and made the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A playoffs. In his 22-season career as head coach of the Scouts, he achieved 135 wins—the most in school history.
Those who have gotten to know Spagnoli closely or have played football for him call him “Coach Spagnoli” or “Spags” for short.
Spagnoli has been married for 32 years, and has a 29 year old daughter. On his retirement, Spagnoli says he is ready to have more free time and do “whatever [he] wants.” Outside of his life at LFHS, he has various hobbies and interests.
“I very much enjoy spending time with family and friends. I enjoy hunting, fishing, and anything outdoors. My favorite vacation place is my backyard,” Spagnoli said.
Through the years, Spagnoli says he has enjoyed “every part” of working at LFHS. Most importantly, he values making meaningful connections with students and showing his compassion for their growth and successes.
“From all the years I have spent at LFHS, something that I will miss the most is the students— especially my relationships with the students and watching them grow up,” Spagnoli said.
Those who work with Spagnoli admire the passion he brings to his role and his genuine desire to connect with both the students he teaches and the players on his team. Alexander Mann, a fellow football coach and law teacher at LFHS, said he is inspired by Spagnoli’s coaching methods and his deep appreciation for his players.
“His work ethic is certainly the primary influence on my own coaching methods, but also his care for his players. He is always available to help his players in any capacity, and the team recognizes that. The players see how much Coach Spagnoli cares about them and they want to honor that respect,” Mann said.
Tim Dan, one of the senior captains on the football team, said Spagnoli plays a key role in developing and maturing his players.
“He pushed me to be a better leader. During a scrimmage leading up to my senior year, a player on the defense wasn’t hustling after the ball the way we are taught to. I remember that, instead of calling out that younger player, Coach Spagnoli pulled me aside. During our talk, he said that as a senior and a leader, it was my job to make the team what it is; I had to be the one to call out other guys,” Dan said.
Spagnoli challenges his players to go beyond their comfort zones, guiding them to develop not just as stronger athletes but as more effective leaders as well.
“He pushed all of us in this way. He gave us confidence, not because we were praised or lauded, but because he pushed us the most in our areas of discomfort. It was when we found that we can handle the discomfort that we as players matured in our confidence,” Dan said. “Coach Spagnoli is a great coach because he creates great leaders. He created a strong culture of leadership within the seniors this year. It was his trust in our leadership capabilities that made him a great leader, because in all this, we grew in authentic confidence.”
In addition to his lasting impact on football players, those who work with him in the classroom recognize his dedication to fostering meaningful relationships and ensuring that students feel a sense of belonging.
“I’ve always deeply respected and appreciated the way he connects with students and builds meaningful relationships—not only with them individually, but by encouraging connection and community within the class as a whole,” Educational and Life Skills teacher Donna Lovitsch said. “He sets high expectations for all students, while approaching them with empathy, patience, and genuine care. He has a natural way of building that sense of community and culture in all aspects of his teaching and coaching.”
Lovitsch said she appreciates the way Spagnoli treats all students with dignity and respect in the Special Education Department.
“Spags is really committed to ensuring every student has access to the same opportunities, regardless of whether they have a disability. His positive energy and sense of humor feels effortless and authentic—he is always ready to support, uplift, and go the extra mile for his students, not for recognition, but simply because he truly cares,” she said.
One of the skills Spagnoli believes is important for all students to master is communication. In his Integrated Wellness class, he prioritizes helping the students he works with to develop that skill.
“I love watching the students grow up and mature. That is by far the most rewarding thing—watching the kids grow up and become young adults and become responsible people. Also, watching them communicate as they get older,” Spagnoli said.
Through the many years he has run the Integrated Wellness class, he hopes that he impacted them in a positive way, most importantly helping them grow into good people who can speak their minds freely.
“More than anything, I would hope that we have taught them how to communicate and speak and act responsibly, but most importantly, to say what’s on their minds,” Spagnoli said. “I think that it’s important that they are not afraid to communicate with the people around them because without communication, there is no way to form lasting relationships. Our class is all relationship based, so if they can’t communicate with each other, then there will be no relationship.”
For senior Sienna Daum, a teacher assistant in the Integrated Wellness class, Spagnoli has made a lasting impact on all of the students in the class—the buddies and the TAs. She said that watching Spagnoli teach is an “inspiration” as he can always “bring the best” out of each and every student he works with.
“I am extremely lucky to have been a teacher assistant in Coach Spagnoli’s Integrated Wellness class the past two years. I am always certain when walking into class that Spags has something fun, interactive, and memorable planned for us,” Daum said. “He is always encouraging and supportive. He has taught me so many valuable life lessons that I will carry with me throughout life. In the future I want to be a teacher and I can only aspire to have as much of an impact on my student’s lives as he has had on so many LFHS students.”
Freshman Joey Van Camp, a buddy in the Integrated Wellness class, said he appreciates Spagnoli for both his coaching and teaching abilities.
“He was a very good football coach for the past years. Any day is a good day with Spags. Have fun on retirement,” Van Camp said.
Senior Ella Rubenstein said she feels “incredibly fortunate” to have spent two years working with Coach Spagnoli in Integrated Wellness.
“He makes every single class so memorable and enjoyable, and he has taught every single one of us lessons that we will take with us for the rest of our lives. He has made such a huge impact on the Integrated Wellness class, and Lake Forest High School as a whole,” she said.
With Spagnoli, his teaching is “all about the students.” His relationships with the students, his determination to teach them valuable lessons, and his ability to make a long-term impact on them.
“I feel he has a lasting effect on each student he crosses paths with. Each student feels valued, engaged, and excited to learn about life in his class,” Lovitsch said. “The testament is the relationships he still has with alumni whether it be from the classes he teaches or the athletes he coaches. It is evident in how they visit and keep in touch with him, especially all of the alumni that took the time to send me videos for his retirement video this year. It was really cool to see and listen to the impact he had upon each and every one of them.”
Spagnoli’s experience as head coach of the football team has been rewarding in many instances, which is shown through his connection with his players and his ability to impact them not only on the field, but for the rest of their lives as well.
“Being the varsity football coach has been awesome. I’m not sure how many players we have had over the years, but my relationship with those players is the most important part of it all. Whether it was athletes from my first year to current players, I value each and every one of those relationships. Those relationships are life long, which is 100% the most rewarding part about being the head coach,” he said.
Over the years, Spagnoli has built a program of unity, where no players are more important than anyone else.
“I think that more than anything the team should be a culture of unity—we are all trying to do one thing together. Not one person, me included, is more important than anyone else. If we can convey that and we can practice that, that’s pretty important,” Spagnoli said.
Mann believes that Spagnoli’s coaching talents stems from his desire to lead by example.
“He works extremely hard and he expects the players and coaches to do the same. He is clear and direct, and he expects the seniors to lead the team by example,” he said.
Spagnoli expects a lot from the seniors on his team, and expects them to lead their team the best they can, and to grow and reflect on the season.
“Every year when the season ends, we ask our seniors to speak to the team about their experience and their time on the team. I think listening to those guys convey their feelings, opinions, and thoughts—those are probably my proudest moments as the head coach,” Spagnoli said. “We do a similar thing with the Integrated Wellness seniors as well. When they can speak to everyone honestly and openly about their experiences, whether it’s the team or the kids in the class, that’s pretty rewarding.”
Lovitsch appreciates who Spagnoli is as an educator, and believes that every student should have a teacher like him.
“He is not only a great person to work with, but also the kind of teacher every student is lucky to have. He truly understands the importance of teaching life lessons—lessons that students will carry with them long after they leave the classroom. He cares deeply about each student and every staff member he works with. He consistently goes above and beyond, not for recognition, but because that’s just who he is,” Lovitsch said.
Spagnoli decided to retire this year to give others the opportunity to work with the amazing students he has been honored to work with. He has high hopes for those students.
“I would just like for the people who I have been fortunate enough to teach and work with appreciate this place as much as I do,” he said.
Those who have had the opportunity to work with or learn from him will forever appreciate his lasting impact on the LFHS community, and hope to leave as big of an impact as he did.
“He has made a lasting impact on all of us—students, staff, and the entire school community. He is dedicated to students, cares about each and every one of them, and his advocacy for students will have truly left a legacy. We will definitely miss him,” Lovitsch said.
