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Athletic Department Welcomes New Face

Parker’s Athletic Department is pleased to welcome Luke Drase who will be joining the team as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Operations and Engagement, replacing Ellen Sandquist, who retired following the 2024–25 school year.

Drase joins Parker after previous stops at Lane Tech High School, where he served as the Freshman head volleyball coach and varsity assistant, and Lake Forest College, as the Athletics Communications and Digital Media Coordinator.

“I am very excited to be joining this incredible team at Parker,” said Drase. “As a native Chicagoan, it is a special opportunity to be working in the city I grew up in, and I look forward to helping support and develop student-athletes in any capacity that I can.”

Outside of working in athletics, you can find Drase enjoying some of his favorite pastimes; cheering for Marquette basketball, being perpetually disappointed with the state of Chicago sports teams and enjoying the latest Broadway shows that make their way to Chicago.

Returning to Parker for his second season as Athletic Director, is Nick Kocsis. In his first season at Parker, the athletic department saw growth both on and off the field, highlighted by state qualifying teams in golf, scholastic bowl, chess and a boys basketball sweep over rival Latin.

In addition to these accomplishments, Kocsis oversaw the implementation of the new captain’s process that focuses on what it means to be a captain, and aligns with the mission and progressive values of Parker.

“Fall is always an exciting time, and athletics leads the way into the school year,” said Kocsis. “I’m really looking forward to building on everything we tried and learned last year to make the student-athlete experience the best it can be. We took some small but meaningful steps to enhance Parker’s athletic programming, and I’m excited to see what additional progress we can make together this year.”

Rounding out the team is fourth year Assistant Director of Athletics, Cynthia Klucznyk. Klucznyk is vital to the day-to-day operations of the Parker Athletic Department, handling everything from scheduling, to uniform inventory and monitoring the weather radar to ensure the safety of student athletes and coaches. If you can name it, Klucznyk has had a hand in it.

The entire Athletic Department staff is looking forward to another successful school year, we look forward to seeing everybody again when practices begin Monday, August 11.

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Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.