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O’Neill eighth-grader scores big on the SAT
In between playing principal cello with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) Concert Orchestra, captaining his varsity Scholastic Bowl team, serving on his school’s student council and earning straight As, Andrew Molina found time to take the SAT this spring—and to earn an extremely high score.
Normally the realm of high school students vying for spots in colleges, Molina, an eighth-grader at O’Neill Middle School, decided to take the SAT College Board Test through Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search because a high enough score—which he earned–would enable him to participate in online Latin classes through Northwestern University’s Gifted Learning Links Program. His mother, Sharon, taught him some Latin last summer, having taken five years of the language herself, and it piqued his interest enough that he signed up for summer classes at Dominican University and wants to continue his Latin education, he said.
Molina, who is taking advanced algebra and trigonometry honors at Downers Grove South this year, was more than ready for the mathematics portion of the exam, on which he netted a nearly-perfect score of 770. He also earned a 670 in English and writing, placing him in the 93rd percentile of all test-takers nationwide, and a 610 on reading.
“I was surprised by my (overall) score—I actually didn’t think I did that well on reading,” Molina said.
Molina said he took two practice tests before sitting down to participate in the actual SAT Test, and he was surprised by the challenges presented by the reading portion. Some of the passages were frankly uninteresting and difficult to focus on—such as one on the history of street lights–and for each question, he had to refer back to the reading passage to which the question pertained, he said.
Not only did taking the SAT grant him entry into Northwestern’s online Latin program, it was also good practice for when he takes the test in a few years as a college-bound high school junior.
“Now I know how to manage my time during the test, and I’ll practice more before I take it again,” said Molina, who has his sights set on someday becoming a neurosurgeon and a musician.
Molina has played in the CYSO Concert Orchestra for three years, two of those as principal cellist. He also serves in the orchestra’s Ambassadors program, in which he and four other musicians visit schools in the Chicago Public School system to teach students about string instruments, how an orchestra works, and musical concepts in general. In addition to his involvement with the orchestra, student council and Scholastic Bowl team, Molina also participates in karate and is one rank away from black belt.
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Select 58 students honored
April 21 marked a very special night for 58 eighth-graders in Downers Grove Grade School District 58, along with their proud families, as they were honored at the annual Select 58 banquet for their citizenship and contributions to school and community.
The attendees at the banquet at Herrick Middle School, which is sponsored by the Education Foundation of District 58, were treated to a musical performance by the Freshmen Select Ensemble from Downers Grove South, as well as inspiring speeches about leadership by former Select 58 winners Jack O’Sullivan (O’Neill alumnus) and Allison Williams (Herrick alumnus).
Select 58 contributors were Carlucci’s, which provided dinner; Holy Cow Sports, which donated sweatshirts; Miles Boone, who donated photography services; Starbucks, which donated coffee; and Nancy Zschau, who created the Select 58 cake.
The 2010 Select 58 honorees are: Yessenia Barrera, Janelle Bernaky, Nicholas Bonanno, Meghan Bonfield, Julie Brinkman, Elizabeth Brunell, Jack Carlson, Caitlin Carr, Alexa Castelvecchi, Alexis Conklin, Jeremy Craven, Maggie Curran, Mary Doro, Jack Ebersold, Eleni Eisenhart, Leo Fotos, Jack Freko, William Furstenau, Melissa Gorman, James Grammich, Derek Griesheim, Claire Hardy, Justine Hung, Erik Jensen, Luke Josey, James Kruse, Heather Kwityn, Andrew Mahlan, Silvia Martin, Daniel McAnally, Andrew Molina, Brian Moroney, Joshua Neumann, Cameron Nichols, Michael O’Sullivan, Jordan Pawlicki, Micah Pfotenhauer, Robyn Popelka, Caroline Purcell, Patrick Resh, Mitchell Rick, Colleen Riordan, Meredith Robinson, Jack Ronan, Jessica Rouzan, Thomas Sarver, Eva Schuller, Nicole Smith, Jennifer Smith, Rachel Smith,Apoorva Sooranahalli, Kelsey Stallter, Nicholas Steichmann, Stephanie Urbancik, Sarah Williams, Eric Wisz, Alexandria Woo, Rachel Wydra
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North High senior Padraic O’Connor won “Best In Show” at the recent Elmhurst Art Museum Portfolio Exhibition for Artistic Teens. Padraic’s portfolio was themed “Imaginary Creatures” and contained graphic art he created using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Padraic, who plans to study illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was inspired by the work of sci-fi/fantasy artist Boris Vallejo.
Two “Honorable Mention” awards were presented to North students Katie Earl and Nicole Irwin. Each submitted a portfolio consisted of six works created in the same medium.
The Elmhurst Art Museum worked directly with local high school art teachers who selected student art portfolios to be sent to the Museum for judging. Up to twenty-five portfolios are selected for the exhibition. This was the third annual portfolio exhibition, and it was open to all high school seniors in DuPage County.
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South newspaper, yearbook honored
The Downers Grove South newspaper and yearbook staffs received a host of awards recently through the Northern Illinois School Press Association’s annual journalism competition.
The Blueprint newspaper took a Silver Certificate for overall publication and first place Blue Ribbon Awards were won by the Blueprint’s editorial board as well as by Tiffany Kolodziej for news writing, Nick Rybarczyk for opinion writing, and David Huettner for the editorial cartoon category. Megan Farrer and Emma Vodick received an honorable mention for graphics.
The Caracole yearbook was recognized as one of the top six Northern Illinois high school yearbooks for 2010 and received the prestigious Golden Eagle Award. The yearbook also received a first place Blue Ribbon Award for layout and design and Honorable Mentions in the categories of photography, coverage, and copy writing.
Congratulations to yearbook editors Karyn Wojcik, Barbara Beecroft, Gretchen Deters, Claire Longeway, Henry Krol, Amanda Bonacchi, Bincy Augstine, John Wendt, Lily Space, and Cassidy Williams, along with the rest of the yearbook staff, on these accomplishments.
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North students win national art awards
North students Nicole Irwin and Padraic O’Connor have recognized by the prestigious national The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the 87 year-old national program that recognizes outstanding creative teenagers and offers scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors.
Both were awarded a Silver medal for their art portfolios. Padraic’s concentration was Digital Art and Nicole’s was in Jewelry and Metalwork.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the national nonprofit organization that presents The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, will honor these students in early June, at a gala celebration at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Selected award recipients and high school seniors recognized with top honors for portfolios will have their art/writing exhibited in Manhattan at the World Monuments Fund Gallery.
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South senior wins prestigious national art award
Sunnie Farrar, a senior at South High School, has been awarded a prestigious Silver Medal Award for her artwork entitled “Overwhelming Evil” through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The 87-year-old national program that recognizes creative teenagers and offers scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers will honor recipients at a gala celebration at Carnegie Hall in New York City in early June.
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Three D58 students advance to state science fair
Three D58 students will advance to the state science fair at the University of Illinois May 7-8, having earned top scores at the regional science fair in Cicero last month.
Emily Alves and Abby Kargol from O’Neill Middle School will represent the district with their project, “Do Preschool Children Prefer ‘Imagination’ or Electronic Toys?”
Kate Edel from Herrick Middle School will represent D58 with her project, “The Effects of Salinity on a Geyser.”
Alves, Kargol and Edel also earned top scores at the 29th annual District 58 Science Fair held in January, in which nearly 800 students from first through eighth grade participated.
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North seniors named National Merit finalists
Four North High seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Program finalists:
Ellen McCammon is the daughter of Livia and Mike Kiser and Rob and Terri McCammon of Downers Grove. During her senior year, Ellen has been named an Illinois State Scholar, an AP Scholar with Honor, a Presidential Scholar Nominee, and a recipient of an IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award. Ellen also has been a member of numerous clubs and activities. As a senior, Ellen is serving as the Art and Layout Editor of Northwind literary magazine. She is a member of the National Honor Society (11-12) and the Math Team (11-12), in which she was a State Meet Qualifier (12). She was also on the Speech Team (9). Ellen is a member of the Track and Field Team (9-12), and in 2009 she was a State Meet Qualifier in Long Jump and Triple Jump. She is an active member of her church youth group (9-12) and a volunteer camp counselor at church camp (11). Ellen plans to major in English, but her school is undecided.
Elizabeth McKay is the daughter of Rob and Becky McKay of Downers Grove. Elizabeth has received a number of awards during her high school career, including being named to the IHSA All-State Academic Team. She took second place in Impromptu Speaking at the IHSA State Speech Competition (12), and sixth place in Impromptu Speaking at the IHSA State Speech Competition (11). Elizabeth also received the Bausch and Lomb Science Award (11). She has acted as a Belief 2 Behavior leader (11-12), served on Class Board (9-12), worked with the J. Kyle Braid Leadership Group (10-12), and is an active member of the Speech Team (9-12) of which she was the captain (12). In sports, Elizabeth has been active on the Cross Country Team (9-12) and the Track and Field Team (9-12). In the community, Elizabeth acts as a Peer Jury volunteer (10-12) and is active in the Herrick Mentoring Program (10-12). Elizabeth says her favorite memory of high school is when the Speech Team won its first Regional Tournament: “After weeks of grueling practice, we had worked together to accomplish something truly amazing. I had never been so proud of my team.” Elizabeth plans to major in International Relations and has been accepted by the University of Michigan Honors Program. She is waiting to hear from other schools as well.
Madeleine O’Rourke is the daughter of John O’Rourke of Downers Grove and Marty Attiyeh of Naperville. Madeleine received the Chemistry Award (10) and the Silver Math Award (11). Madeleine is active in Northwind (Editor 10-12), WDGC (Personnel Director 11-12), Cable 99 (12), and National Honor Society (11-12) in which she performed numerous community service activities. Madeleine also was active in ISKC Kick Against Cancer (9,11). Madeleine says her favorite memory of high school is her Junior English class: “That year I really improved the quality of my writing, but more importantly I had a good time. That English class, as different as we all were, had a bond. I’ll still be laughing about those inside jokes for years.” Madeleine plans to attend the University of Chicago and major in Creative Writing.
Mike Walser is the son of Tom and Janice Walser of Downers Grove. Mike has been named IMEA All State (12) and an AP Scholar with Distinction (11). Mike also has been involved in Band (9-12), Jazz Band (9-12), National Honor Society (11-12), and L.I.N.K. Crew (11-12). Mike has been on the Varsity Golf Team (9-12), serving co-captain his junior and senior years. In the community, he raised money for the FISH Food Pantry by playing music at a local train station (9, 11, 12). Mike is undecided on a college and major.
This is a fun one to post. I’ve known Elizabeth as a strong competitor and c0-captain of the Speech Team, Mike since he was a kindergartner at Pierce Downer and Ellen as a good friend of my son. Congratulations to all three and to Madelyn, as well.
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North senior Elizabeth McKay named to IHSA All-State Academic Team
North High senior Elizabeth McKay is one of 26 students chosen from 500 nominees for the 17th IHSA All-State Academic Team.
Qualifications are a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale after the seventh semester and involvemtn in at least two IHSA sponsored activities during the last two years. Nominees were also required to demonstrate outstanding citizenship.
McKay, a second-place finisher in the IHSA State Speech Tournament, will be honored at an April banquet in Bloomington and receive a $1,000 scholarship.
“These students are the embodiment of what it means to take advantage of the entire high school experience,” said Marty Hickman, IHSA executive director.
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North students win Scholastic Art Awards
North High School visual artists garnered 74 Scholastic Art Awards in the 2010 juried exhibition.
Now in its 87th year, the Scholastic Art Awards is a national competition devoted to recognizing outstanding art and writing created by middle school and high school students.
The competition begins with regional adjudications across the country. Our 2010 regional show, sponsored by District 99, received 1449 individual entries from 20 local high schools, as well as two middle schools competing in a separate age category.
Fifteen independent judges, consisting of local art educators and art professionals, assigned three levels of recognition to students: Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention Awards.
A showing of over 500 award winning works will be on display at Downers Grove North High School. The Opening Reception will be held Sunday, February 7th from 1-4 p.m. in the Main Street and Auditorium Lobbies. The show will be on display through February 12th. At the close of the show, all individual Gold Key and Gold Key Portfolio winners will have their work forwarded to New York City for the national adjudication, in which thousands of works from across the United States will be vying for a select number of awards.
Downers Grove North High School was honored with another outstanding performance at this year’s regional show.
• 36 Honorable Mention commendations.
• 20 Silver Key honors
• 14 individual Gold Key awards
• 4 Portfolio Gold Key awards
The following North High students received awards:
Art Portfolio
Sabreena Damra: Gold
Nicole Irwin: Gold
Padraic O’Connor: Gold
Ceramics
Kristiana Bonomo: Gold
Rob Lott: Gold
Ansley McLeod: Gold
Alexander Wirtas: Silver
Stephen Banda: Silver
Gina Gammonley: Silver
William Hennessy: Silver
Maureen Eckdahl: Silver
Juliana Davis: HM
Emily Dylla: HM
Andrew Kelliher: HM
Nicole Papp: HM
Eric Smith: HM
Rachel Swirsky: HM
Digital Art
Padraic O’Connor: Gold, Silver (2), HM
Sabreena Damra: HM
Drawing
Bernadette Calvino: Gold (2)
Dan Meinhart: Gold, HM
Samantha Fry: Silver
Mahrya Jefferson: Silver
Hannah Ottley: Silver
Elizabeth Havenga: HM (2)
David Martini: HM
Rachel Swirsky: HM
Design
Ellen McCammon: Gold
Nicole Irwin: Silver
Kevin Pechnick: Silver
Jordan Craft: HM
Emily Dang: HM
Colleen Ryan: HM
Jewelry
Nicole Irwin: Gold (2), Silver
Emily Duka: HM
Marie Homolkova: HM
Kristina Via-Reque: HM
Mixed Media
Jackie Maish, Silver
Sheila Sczepanik: Silver
Nicole Irwin: HM
Christina Verdone: HM
Painting
Bernadette Calvino: Gold, HM
Photography
Katie Earl: Gold, Silver, HM (6)
Heather McNeil: Gold
Elizabeth Raines: Silver (4), HM (3)3)
Sabreena Damra: HM
Michelle Twist: HM
Photo Portfolio
Katie Earl: Gold
Sculpture
Erin Dees: HM
Alisabeth Homolkova: HM
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South violinist Michael Rau awarded
South High senior violinist Michael Rau of Downers Grove received the Third Place Award at the 2010 Stanger Young Artists’ Concerto Auditions on January 23.
“Michael is a special person, musician and violinist,” said department chairperson Glenn Williams. “I have every confidence that one day he’ll perform regularly with a major symphony orchestra.”
Rau and other soloists will be featured during the course of the District 99 Orchestra Concert on March 17 in the Downers Grove South Auditorium.
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South student named to Presidential Scholars program
South High senior Jeremy Schultz of Woodridge has been named one of more than 3,000 candidates in the 2010 Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.2 million students expected to graduate from the U.S. high schools in 2010.
Inclusion in the Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 46th year, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities.
The 3,000 candidates were selected for their exceptional performance on either the College Board SAT or ACT. Further consideration is based on students’ essays, self-assessments, descriptions of activities, school recommendations, and school transcripts. A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select 500 semifinalists in early April.
The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of some 32 citizens appointed by the President, will make final selection of the Scholars. They will select one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. students living abroad; 15 students at-large; and up to 20 students from the creative and performing arts. The U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May.
Scholars will be invited to Washington, DC, for several days in June to receive the Presidential Scholars medallion at a recognition ceremony and to participate in events and activities with their elected representatives, educators, and other leading individuals in public life.
Since 1964, this unique federal program has honored more than 5,000 Presidential Scholars, who represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people. In honoring the Presidential Scholars, the President of the United States symbolically honors all graduating high school seniors of high potential. The work of the Commission on Presidential Scholars reaffirms, on behalf of the President, the nation’s commitment to education.
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DGN speech team wins Regionals
The Downers Grove North High Speech Team won the IHSA Regional speech meet on February 6th. The team was led by head coaches Missy Carlson and Bill Flemming.
Eleven of fourteen individual events advanced to the finals and to the upcoming sectional meet. For the second year in a row, North captured the Regional championship in Individual Events. Below are the team’s sectional qualifiers:
Humorous Duet Acting – Tim Bourn and Murtaza Kapasi (4th place)
Humorous Interpretation – Devin Collett (3rd place)
Informative Speaking – Tim Bourn (3rd place)
Declamation – Julie Wagner (3rd place)
Original Oratory – Maggie Butzen (3rd place)
Radio Speaking – Meredith Frank (3rd place)
Dramatic Duet Acting – Evan Karl and Derek Mitchell (1st place)
Extemporaneous Speaking – Emily Temple-Wood (1st place)
Impromptu – Elizabeth McKay (1st place)
Original Comedy – Evan Karl (1st place)
Special Occasion Speaking – Elizabeth McKay (1st place)
Performance in the Round – Sarah Batchu, Heather Johansen, Becca Johnson, Lizzie Kolbeck, Andy Krupin, Sam Staley, Julie Thorn (1st place)
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Chamber Choice award finalists named
The Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry is proud to announce the following semi-finalists for the third annual Chamber Choice Awards, Wednesday, March 10at the DoubleTree Guest Suites & Conference Center in Downers Grove.
In the business excellence area several semi-finalists have been chosen. The Retail category recognizes The Olive Tap and Louis’ for Men as semi-finalists. The In the Service category, 1st Advantage Mortgage, Lang’s Auto Service, Inc. and MG Computer are semi-finalists. In the area of Community Contribution, Not-for-Profit, Fairview A Vibrant Living Community and Spectrum Vocational Services have been chosen as semi-finalists.
Also, in the Community Contribution – Philanthropic category, Dominick’s and Rotary Club of Downers Grove have been named semi-finalists. A Young Business Professional Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award will also be awarded to two individuals that have excelled in their fields.
“Now in its third year, the Chamber Choice Awards again resulted in a wealth of high quality nominations. We consider all Chamber Members winners; and it’s always a delight to celebrate success. These businesses and not-for-profit organizations are what really make this Village so special.” stated Laura Crawford, President & CEO.
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D58 schools rally to raise funds for Haitian quake victims
Countries around the world are rallying around Haiti following the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, and students in District 58 will be using their heads to help during the next few weeks.
All District 58 schools will be participating in Hats for Haiti, in which students pay $1 for the right to wear a hat to school for a day; the money raised will be donated to the American Red Cross to assist with humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti.
“District 58’s mission statement includes preparing students to be contributing members of society, and this is a great opportunity for our students to get involved in the relief efforts in Haiti while learning to be civically and socially responsible citizens,” said Fairmount Principal Anthony Coglianese, who is coordinating the Hats for Haiti effort in District 58 along with Whittier teacher Christy Gergits.
Schools throughout District 58 also have organized a variety of other fundraising activities to help with relief efforts, including a Penny Harvest and PJ Day at Lester School; “permission to wear blue jeans” week at Fairmount, in which teachers can pay $2 a day or $10 for the week to wear blue jeans to work; Penny Wars at Henry Puffer; and a coin collection competition led by the Environmental Club at Kingsley, in which the winning class will have a rain barrel purchased in their name for the school. The Care and Share Club at Belle Aire will hold a fundraiser in which students will be sponsored by family and friends to hop, skip, dance and jump to raise money for Haiti.
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Second-grader closes in on 1 million-word reading goal
Pierce Downer School second-grader Kyle Johnson has set quite a goal for himself with this year’s Accelerated Reader program–and it looks like he’ll make it.
Each day, students log the number of words they have read and take quizzes on books they have completed. The results are pinned up on the bulletin board in the classroom.
Shortly after the start of the school year, Kyle set a goal for himself of reading a million words by the end of the school year.
As of Jan. 21, he had taken more than 200 book quizzes and logged a total of 866,743 words.
“At the end of the day, we share who took tests and how many words they have read so far, and we cheer for everyone. It has been a huge hit, and very motivating for the students,” said Beth Taylor, Kyle’s teacher.
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South Jazz bands, musicians honored at Purdue fest
Student musicians from South High School participated in the 20th Purdue University Jazz Festival Jan. 16 with impressive results.
South accomplished something that only three high schools in 20 years have achieved in having two ensembles–the DGS Jazz Ensemble and the DGS Jazz Lab selected as Honor Bands. Additionally, three DGS jazz musicians were among only 10 outstanding soloist awarded out of more than 1,200 participating student musicians.
Jazz Ensemble senior trombonist Matt Kowalski and senior baritone saxophonist Lauren Wood were named the two outstanding soloists at their site for the day. Additionally, Mike Ruth, Danny Jama, Elliot Bild and Kelly Lamorena were recognized by the judging panel as outstanding musicians and soloists.
Freshmen alto saxophonist Christian Siki of the Jazz Lab band was named one of two outstanding soloists for the site for the day. Additionally, Will O’Dell, Josiah Williams and Paul Carlquist were recognized by the judging panel as outstanding musicians and soloists.
The DGS Jazz Combo also performed, earning a Division II rating. Junior trumpeter Elliot Bild and sophomore alto saxophonist Michael Ruth were recognized by the judging panel as outstanding musicians and soloists.
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Newsweek names North Silver Medal School
North High was named a Silver Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, an honor that places it among the top, large public high schools in the country.
The report looks at data from state standardized tests, analyzes the proficiency rates on tests for the least advantaged student groups and measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) tests
North High was among the prestigious list of 3 schools in Illinois that earned Gold Medal status, 34 that earned Silver status and 33 that earned Bronze Medals.
The award was announced in the December 2010 U.S. News & World Report on “America’s Best High Schools.” The America’s Best High Schools project is an annual report that identifies the country’s top-performing high schools. The goal is to provide a clear, unbiased picture of how well public schools serve all of their students – from the highest achieving to the lowest achieving – in preparing them to demonstrate proficiency in basic skills as well as readiness for college-level work, according to the magazine.
The methodology was developed by School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education data research business run by Standard & Poor’s.
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DGN junior named to all-state theater production
North High School junior Austin Swan will put his outstanding technical skills to work as a member of the crew of the Illinois High School Theatre Festival’s All-State production of Urinetown, Jan. 8-9 at Illinois State University.
Austin, a standout in sound design, is one of 71 students chosen for the production, which is “comprised of the brightest stars in the state,said Mark Begovich, executive producer.
Urinetown is a satirical musical comedy about a town in which the citizens have to pay to use the bathroom. Austin will be helping to design the sound system for the show: creating flow charts for microphones, creating sound effects, and balancing the various sound components.
Austin has participated in numerous theater production crews at North, worked worked as an audio director for Cable 99’s monthly live television show and is programming director of the North radio station, WDGC 88.3FM.
“He has a tremendous knowledge of sound theory and design. Austin can work independently and problem-solve even the most difficult equipment issues,” said John Waite, station general manager.
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D58 students work to make the season bright
For District 58 students, the holidays are a time of giving, and again this year the
schools have completed a variety of service projects to make the season brighter for others.
Students spent weeks collecting and donating items such as toys, clothing, winter wear, funds, pop tops and canned/non-perishable food items to benefit the less fortunate in our area.
At Belle Aire, the school’s Care and Share Club collected a variety of items for Operation Support our Troops (OSOT of Illinois). The student council held a raffle, the proceeds from which will be donated to a local food pantry, and staff collected hats and mittens to donate. In addition, the school held a book drive for the Chicago Public Schools.
At El Sierra, students made more than a dozen twin-size blankets for terminally ill adults and children at Advocate Hospice, using materials donated by the Hospice. In addition, the student council organized a food drive, hosted a mitten tree, collected clothing, and adopted families for the holidays. Eight families received boxes of food, and five families also received wrapped gifts based on requests that staff turned into tags and placed on a tree at the school. El Sierra also donated to the women’s shelter, and put together gift packages for young hospital patients.
“We are very proud to be teaching the children the true meaning of the holiday spirit,” said Principal Lucille Carney.
Fairmount students donated food to give to a local pantry, donated some 200 toys to the Humanitarian Service Project, and filled the school’s mitten tree with donations of seasonal clothing. In addition, the students “adopted” two underprivileged children through the Humanitarian Service Project to ensure that the students receive a gift on Christmas and on their birthday, and staff collected money for a local family to make sure the children have a bright Christmas morning.
The K-3 classrooms at Henry Puffer School hosted mitten trees in their classrooms to collect donations for the FISH pantry. The fourth through sixth grade classes fulfilled wishes for families in the Greenhouse Shelter, which is a shelter for abused women and their children.
“The students were so excited, because they were able to completely take care of the top two wishes for three entire families,” said Principal Todd McDaniel, adding that the Puffer PTA also donated 20 gift cards to be passed on to less fortunate families within the Puffer attendance area.
Highland School’s Giving Tree was again covered with donations of clothing and winter wear, and the area around it filled with coats, toys and games, all of which will be given to organizations serving the less fortunate.
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14 North students chosen for IMEA All-State
Fourteen student musicians from North High School were selected by competitive audition to the 2009-2010 Illinois Music Educator’s Association All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Band and Secondary General Music Composition Contest based upon performance auditions in October.
“We are really thrilled for these students and their families,” said Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department Chair at North High. “Many people helped these students achieve this success, beginning with their very first elementary school music teachers and extending to their private-lessons teachers today. North High is very proud to have these incredible musicians representing District 99 at the All-State level.”
In total, 28 student musicians from District 99 were selected for this prestigious performance honor. The North students are:
All-State Band: Nick Goergen, Marie Kirkegaard, Jennifer Poad, Emma Sassano, Isaac Stevenson and Mike Walser.
All-State Choir: Tom Cannan, Catie Krygeris, Collin Ludlow, Josh Smith and Caroline Sterr.
All-State Orchestra: Colette Mondragon and Rudy Rendek.
All-State Music Composition: Patrick Long.
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D99 students named Illinois State Scholars
More than 200 D99 seniors have been designated Illinois State Scholars for 2010. The prestigious award is given annually by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) which this year is recognizing 19,345 high school students from across the state.
Illinois State Scholar winners rank in the top ten percent of the state’s high school seniors from 752 high schools in all 102 counties. Selection is based on SAT, ACT and/or Prairie Sate Achievement Exam scores, and/or class rank at the end of the junior year.
The following North students were named Illinois State Scholars:
Rafael Angelucci, John Baker, Joseph Barton, Nicholas Blashill, Katherine Bondi, Matthew Bucher, Emma Buckley, Chloe Burnham, Navika Chhabra, Andrew Cook, Adelyn Danchisin, Emily Dang, Emily Daugherty, Joseph Depeder, Kathryn Digiulio, Robyn Eggert, Faith Enenbach, Danielle Eppen, Robyn Feldmar, Bryan Foster, William Fox, Allison Gilbert, Nicholas Goergen, Julie Gonzales, Jordan Graham, Kendall Gretsch, Alex Haig, Thomas Heinz, Evan Karl, Julie Katrenak, Andrew Kelliher, Joanna Kluzowska, William Kolschowsky, Erika Kropp, Catherine Krygeris, Caitlin Landry, Julia Larson, Cassandra Lauer, Maranda Leigh, Emma Levalley, Ryan Lewandowski, Joshua Longmire, Samantha Marek, Nicholas Marsteller, Ellen McCammon, Elizabeth McKay, Philip McNulty, Joseph Moscinski, Sarah Muenzer, Rebecca Mulcrone, Krishna Nalla, Emily Norco, Trevor North, Kevin Omalley, Madeleine O’Rourke, Julia Pasquale, Anita Pattanayak, Lauren Patten, Mitchell Penninger, Jennifer Poad, Maxwell Prepejchal, Mohammed Raheen, Diana Riggs, Abel Rodriguez, Roberto Romay, Dana Rotz, Stacey Ruffalo, Anki Sahni, Emma Sassano, Clare Scanlon, Stephen Seitz, Ami Shah, Kathryn Smith, Natalie Smith, Corbin Souffrant, Eric Spilkey, Andrew Stawarz, Benjamin Stein, Rebecca Stevens, Jonathan Strukl, Angie Suh, Amanda Take, Rehan Tariq, Mike Vannorman, Matt Verzak, Kristina Via-Reque, John Walgamuth, Brynne Walker, Michael Walser, Matthew Walthius, John Weber, Joseph Wegner, Matthew Weiss, Emily Wilkinson, Joshua Williams, Alexandra Wirtas, Mitchell Witek, Hannah Wittman, Alexander Yeager, Andrew Zahn, Marisa Zahn and Ayden Zarkhah.
The following South students were named Illinois State Scholars: Anthony Allegretti, Michael Allison, Jennifer Alter, Disha Ankola, Arjun Bajaj, Alexander Bartel, Kristina Behnke, Kristen Bennett, Mark Bentley, Eric Bernard, Kevin Berning, Patricia Bularzik, Matthew Bury, Ieva Butkute, Robert Castillo, Alison Chan, Carol Chang, Rebecca Ciota, Catherine Danko, Lindsay Dec, Heather Deklyen, Kelly Del Valle, Majlinda Dervishi, Cara Drennan, Katherine Even, Sunnie Farrar, Joseph Ficaro, Daniel Field, Quinton Ford, Kyle Freischlag, Lauren Gannon, Dana Gawel, Alex Gilio, Dragan Gjorgiev, Henry Gordon, Michaela Grenier, Rachel Haake, Syeda Hasan, Michael Herman, Christopher Hernandez, Michael Hernandez, Jenny Hois, Ryan Hood, David Huettner, Leenu Jacob, Katherine Jalette, Jaime Johnson, Bradley Jones, Vaibhav Kadakia, Ridhika Kartan, Ryan Kelly, Mark Kennedy, Timothy Kennedy, Carly Kolosh, Kevin Kral, Kristen Krumwiede, Lauren Kurey, Matthew Lalonde, Brittany Larson, Nicole Lech, Laura Ledvora, Sheila Lesiak, Elizabeth Lestina, Emily Levine, Grace Magliola, Daniel Marshall, Stephen Martinek, Victoria Mata, Colleen Mathew, Ryan Mihalko, Brenda Miller, Mariah Miller, Shane Molidor, Ryan Moser, Jake Mueller, Robert Mueller, David Nguyen, Emily Olsen, Ryan Orth, Jack O’Sullivan, Sandip Pal, Shruti Patel, Laura Paton, Eric Placek, Angela Prasnikar, Katrina Prosek, Jennifer Purcell, Mitchell Reeter, Jacqueline Reinert, Thomas Reusz, Kelli Riggs, Annalisa Rodriguez, Shannon Rooney, Johanna Schnitzler, Jeremy Schultz, Andrea Schumacher, Kelly Seranko, Colleen Smith, Douglas Smith, Jack Sombeck, Jessica Sonnenberger, Breanne Stromberg, Savannah Stromberg, Cody Stuth, Mazen Syed, Alyssa Szynal, Alice Tindall, Cal Tondelli, Minh Tran, Timothy Utesch, Michelle Walaszek, Daniel Walsh, Alex Wen, Cassidy Williams, Colum Wilson, Lauren Wood, Peter Wysocki, Melissa Zemke, Bing Zhu, Spencer Zidarich, and Adriana Zurbano.
Originally formed as the Illinois State Scholarship Commission inn 1957, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education. A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for over 50 years. More than a half million Illinois State Scholars have been recognized by ISAC since the program’s inception.
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14 South musicians chosen for IMEA All-State
Fourteen student musicians from South High School were selected by competitive audition for the 2009-2010 Illinois Music Educator’s Association All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Band and Secondary General Music Composition Contest.
Performance auditions were held last October and musical compositions were evaluated by professional musicians and composers from across the Midwest.
“This is a tremendous honor for these students,” said Glenn Williams, Fine Arts Dept. Chair. “All-State selection represents the pinnacle of musical achievement for a high school student musician. After placing a school record 61 student musicians into the district level ensembles, we expected a strong showing for all-state. We are very proud of our students, and look forward to hearing their performances in January.”
In total, 28 D99 students were selected for the all-state event, which takes place in Peoria in January 2010. The South students chosen are:
All-State Band: Kelly Lamorena, Sherilyn Munoz, Lexi Osborn.
All-State Honors Choir: Hank Gordon, Tom Reusz, Minh Tran, Cory Wilson.
All-State Choir: Meredith Richard, Sam Worlton, Kyle Wulf.
All-State Orchestra: Chan Choi, Emily Levine, Michael Rau.
All-State Jazz Band: Matt Kowalski.
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South seniors in competition for Wendy’s HS Heisman
South High School seniors Grace Magliola and Kyle Freischlag were named school winners in the prestigious Wendy’s High School Heisman Award.
“Grace Magliola and Kyle Freischlag are an inspiration to those around them and will represent their school well in the next stage of Wendy’s High School Heisman award judging,” said Archie Griffin, the program spokesman.
The prestigious Wendy’s High School Heisman program, which is awarded in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, celebrates the achievements of the nation’s top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. To be eligible for the award, students must exhibit excellence in academics, athletics, and community/school leadership.
One male and one female from each high school are named school winners.Twelve National Finalists will be featured by ESPN during the national telecast of the college Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation.
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Marching Mustangs earn historic score in state band finals
South High School’s 2009 Marching Mustangs capped off a historical season of competition with a performance of excellence at the State of Illinois Marching Band Finals hosted at Illinois State University. The band earned a score of 74.55, just .05 points away from being 10th place out of the 72 bands that competed over the course of the day. This is South’s highest state finals finish since 1977, representing more than a 7.0 improvement from the score earned last year at ISU.
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61 South students chosen for IMEA festivals
Following a highly competitive audition, 61 South High musicians were to participate in the 2009 IMEA District Festivals in November. “This is the highest total number of participating students at DGS since 2003, when we also had 61 students accepted into District Festival.” said Glenn Williams, music department chairman.
Band: Patrick Bartlett, Brad Jones, Ashley Jovien, Matt Kowalski, Kelly Lamorena, Brenda Miller, Billy Moroney, Sherilyn Munoz, Lexi Osborn, Zach Plata, Amanda Ruzek, Steve Strantz and Tiffany Wu.
Orchestra: Chan Choi, Dan Field, Emily Levine, Nikki Mihelich, Michael Rau, Lisa Salazar and Carly Charles.
Choir: Arjun Bajaj, Ryan Breig, Billy Chengarry, Sonny Delrosario, Colleen Derosa, Claire Drews, Lars Feste, Elise Floss, Hank Gordon, Jean Hesik, Blair Janis, John Junk, Taylor Lane, Paris Mcfall, Liam Merrick, Jeff Novak, Tom Reusz, Meredith Richard, Lauren Santee, Megan Schreck, Lily Space, Amanda Strolia, Minh Tran, Erin C. Walsh, Erin M. Walsh, Megan Wanazek, Cory Wilson, Sam Worlton and Kyle Wulf.
Jazz Band: Elliot Bild, Brad Jones,Ashley Jovien, Sam Kotlicky, Matt Kowalski, Kelly Lamorena, Tim Neumann, Steve Strantz, Josiah Williams, Ian Williams and Lauren Wood.
Vocal Jazz: Jeff Novak
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D58 students chosen for IMEA Music Festival
Nearly three dozen District 58 students have been selected to participate in the Illinois Music Educators Association’s District 1 Music Festival on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The festival will involve more than 500 elementary and middle school students selected by audition from 60 schools in the southwest metropolitan Chicago area.
The 150-member festival band, 100-piece festival orchestra and festival chorus numbering more than 150 voices, will present a public Festival Finale Concert at 3 p.m. in the Lincoln-Way North High School gymnasium. Admission is $5; children under 6 are free. Guest conductors/clinicians for the event are Stacy Larson, VanderCook College of Music, band; Joanne May, Glenbard East High School, orchestra; and Joe Grant, University of Illinois, chorus.
The jazz band ensemble will perform Saturday, Nov. 14, at West Leyden High School in Northlake.
The following District 58 students were selected to participate:
Orchestra
Herrick: Nisha Albert, violin; Shatien Jordan, violin; Allison Kirkegaard, cello; Zach Ligmanowski, violin; David Lyda, cello; Silvia Martin, violin; Toni Miller, viola; Nicole Pearson, viola; Rachel Pfeifer, cello; Sarah Williams, viola. O’Neil: Kathryn Krajewski, viola; Megan McGivern, viola; Stephen Rau, bass; Allison Williams, cello.
Concert band
Herrick: Ellie Arand, clarinet. O’Neill: Amber Warland, clarinet; John Shimanek, trumpet.
Chorus
Herrick: Elizabeth Brunell, Anna Burton, Andy Osterling, Robert Whitmore and Martin Whitmore. O’Neill: Caitlin Carr, Marisa Cervantes, Lian Lucansky, Amber Sadlick, Caitlin Carlson, Rosemary Davy, Rachel Stepp and Andrew Mahlan.
Jazz band
Herrick: Spencer Schillerstrom, tenor saxophone. O’Neill: John Shimanek, trumpet; Brian Moroney, drumset.
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North musicians selected for IMEA
Forty-two student musicians from North High School were selected by audition Oct. 13 to participate in the 2009 Illinois Music Educators Association District Band, Choir, Orchestra and Jazz Band. The top placing scores were selected for participation in the District Music Festivals, to be held in November.
“All of our students who auditioned worked very hard and competed against stiff competition,” said Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department chair. “Selection to these ensembles is a real honor for both them and our school. We are looking forward to hearing great performances at the District Music Festival next month.”
Band students: Shauna Bracken, Brandon Broholm, Emily Daugherty, Joseph DePeder, Erin Elgass, Nick Goergen, Kevin Gupana, Caroline Hlohowskyj, Marie Kirkegaard,
Jennifer Poad, Rudy Rendek, Emma Sassano, Stephen Shatzer, Jonathan Sheetz, Bryn Sitkiewicz, Andrew Stawarz, Isaac Stevenson, Mike Walser and Josh Williams.
Choir students: Tom Cannon, Devin Collett, Abby Gardner, Eileen Grogan, Ally Haley, Liz Havenga, Kaitlin Jeffries, Catie Krygeris, Colin Ludlow, Kirsten Rush, Josh Smith, Caroline Sterr and Allison Williams.
Orchestra students: Chloe Burnham, Lauren Kovanko, Meghan Lyda, Colette Mondragon, Erin Portman, Rudy Rendek, Meghan Schmitt and Hannah Young.
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South named one of the nation’s best in speech, debate
South High School has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 schools in speech and debate activities by the National Forensic League, ranking 22 out of more than 3,000 schools nationwide based on student participation and excellence in speech and debate activities.
South’s excellence in achieving 500 degrees or more last year also qualifies it for the NFL’s elite Pentagon Society. Recipient schools are published in Rostrum, the national magazine of high school speech and on www.nflonline.org, the Web Site of the National Forensic League.
The National Forensic League is the nation’s oldest and largest speech and debate honor society. Its mission is to promote secondary school speech and debate activities and interscholastic competition as a means to develop a student’s lifelong skills and values, as well as the public’s awareness of the value of speech, debate, and communication education. To date, over 1.3 million alumni have found their voice in the National Forensic League.
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D99 students tops in PSAT/NMSQT
Eight D99 students qualified as semifinalists in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program.They are among nearly 16,000 students nationwide, representing less than one percent of each state’s seniors, to win the designation out of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition. They now have the opportunity to vie for 8,200 National Merit Scholarship Awards worth $33 million. The D99 semifinalists are:
North High
Ellen McCammon, Elizabeth McKay, Madeleine O’Rourke and Michael Walser
South High
Daniel W. Field, Laura R. Ledvora, Brenda M. Miller and Michael J. Rau
Twenty-four D99 students were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program as commended students based on their scores on the PSAT/NMSQT. This year about 34,000 students — the top five percent of more 1.5 students who entered the competition — were awarded the designation. They are:
North High
Nicholas Blashill, Katherine Bondi, Emma Buckley, Andrew Cook, Emily Daugherty, Kathryn Digiulio, Faith Enenbach, Bryan Foster, Kendal Gretsch, Marand Leigh, Emma Sassano, Natalie Smith and Marisa Zahn.
South High
Robert Castillo, Carol Chang, Quinton Ford, Kyle Freischlag , Michaela Grenier, Michael Herman, Ridhika Kartan, Shruti Patel, Jeremy Schultz, Jack Sombeck, and Alyssa Szynal
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Zeigler Automotive adds new dealership in Downers Grove
The Harold Zeigler Automotive Group is continuing its growth strategy with a brand new Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Already listed as one of the top automotive groups in the country according to Ward’s Dealer Business, the new facility will increase Zeigler’s franchised dealership count to eleven dealerships in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. Zeigler also owns and operates three JD Byrider franchises located in Michigan and Illinois. The Zeigler Auto Group is one of only a few organizations in the country that was able to increase their sales over the past year.
“We’re excited to be putting a new facility in Downers Grove and serve the customers in that area,” said Aaron Zeigler, President of the Zeigler Automotive Group. “With a dealership already established in Schaumburg, the opportunity to add a dealership in the greater Chicago region fit very well with our strategy and we know that Downers Grove and the surrounding communities are a great place to do business.”
Zeigler plans to begin immediately a development project to build a new state-of-the art dealership at 2311 W Ogden Avenue replacing an old dealership facility where Downers Grove Dodge once operated. They will serve customer in the existing facility until construction is complete next spring. The new dealership, Zeigler Chrysler Dodge Jeep of Downers Grove, will create 75 new jobs within the first year of opening, along with generating hundreds of thousands in sales tax revenue for the city every year.
“My Council colleagues and I are thrilled to welcome the Zeigler Automotive Group to Downers Grove and look forward to a successful partnership in our community,” said Downers Grove Mayor, Ron Sandack. “Having the Zeigler Group select Downers Grove as the location for their next dealership is especially rewarding given these challenging economic times and their new business endeavors serve as a reminder of our community’s strong commitment to business development and growth.”
The Zeigler Auto Group will maintain their headquarters in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In addition to the 75 jobs being added in Downer’s Grove the organization will also be adding jobs at their Kalamazoo headquarters.
“Our strategy of growth and our commitment to our customers have never changed, even as the economic environment has evolved over the past year,” commented Zeigler. “Our philosophy is simple:, be fair and take care of the customer and good things will happen. Keeping with this has allowed us to grow in Schaumburg and now will give us the opportunity to serve the customer in Downers Grove.”
The Zeigler Automotive Group was founded in 1975 and owns and operates eleven dealerships throughout Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.. Zeigler represents the BMW, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands. Zeigler also owns and operates three JD Byrider franchises located in Michigan and Illinois.
