Thursday, May 25, 2017 – Final for 2016-17

Class of 2017 Graduates Friday Night

Stevenson High School will hold its 52nd annual commencement at 5 p.m. Friday at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates. As of this morning, 928 seniors are scheduled to graduate. This year’s student speakers will be Matthew Cabrera and Sarah Berkowitz. Today, nearly the entire senior class will take part in the annual Senior Class Party aboard the Odyssey cruise ship off Navy Pier. Seniors who are going need to check in at 12:15 p.m. at the Field House.

Final Digest Until August

This is the final Daily Digest for the 2016-17 school year. The Digest will take a break during the summer and return on the first day of school, Monday, August 14. For updated Stevenson news after today, visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and at our website, d125.org. The e-Minuteman email newsletter will continue to be sent on Fridays during the summer. Click here to sign up for the e-Minuteman.

Trio Sweeps Stevenson Center Essay Contest

Three students took the top three places in the Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy’s annual student essay contest. Senior Andy Christensen won first place, junior Rachel Aranyi was second, and senior Cindy Yao placed third. Students were invited to write opinion pieces of 1,000 words or less, or create multimedia presentations of less than 3 minutes, on topics impacting public policy. Each student will receive $250, and Christensen’s essay will be published on the center’s website.

Bass Fishing Team Finishes 1-2 at Last Tournament

The bass fishing team closed its regular season by taking first and second place at the Prospect Tournament on Tuesday. Seniors Will Reichert and Go Ogata took top honors by catching five fish weighing a total of 10.72 pounds. Reichert was second in the Big Bass competition with a 2.19-pound catch. The team of freshman Jason Qualich, junior John Mistica and sophomore Alex Myers took second with 8.94 pounds on four fish. Qualich was third in the Big Bass race with a 2.05-pounder. Coach Chris Mural’s team is waiting to hear if it will receive an at-large bid to the Illinois High School Association state finals.

Longtime Math Teacher, Support Staff Retiring

Stevenson bids farewell to three individuals who are retiring this week. Today is the final day for mathematics teacher Neal Roys, who has taught at SHS for the past 29 years. Friday is the last day for Special Education paraprofessional Nancy Nortell and Special Education office assistant Linda Bussdieker. Four support staff members retired earlier in the 2016-17 school year: Student Activities office assistant Vicki Collins, Teaching and Learning paraprofessional Eileen Gaughan, Information and Learning Center mathematics paraprofessional Susan Marcus, and security staff member Barry Reiner.

Here Comes the Sun (Eventually)

Even though it doesn’t seem likely amid this week’s gloomy weather, summer is coming. And Stevenson’s nurses want everyone to be ready. To that end, their final Nurses’ Nook for 2016-17 focuses on skin protection. Click here to read.

PATRIOT SPORTS

Click here for today’s athletic schedule

Wednesday’s Varsity Results

Boys Volleyball

Stevenson at IHSA Fremd Regional: The fifth-seeded Patriots beat No. 13 Palatine, 25-21, 25-19, for their first regional championship since 2012. SHS (25-12) advances to the Palatine Sectional semifinals against top-seeded Libertyville (35-2) at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The two teams waged a tense battle on April 26, with the Wildcats coming away with a 25-20, 23-25, 25-22 win. Against Palatine, serving played a major role for Stevenson. Senior Austin Zhou served two consecutive aces and sophomore Will Sorenson followed with another to pull SHS out of a two-point deficit in the first game. In the second game, senior Grant Maleski served six of his team-high seven aces. Maleski also led the team with 15 kills and seven digs. Junior Haddon Kay dished out 24 assists on 53-of-53 setting. Leo Chen, also a junior, added six kills. Classmate Matt Cliffer had three kills and senior Hudson Havenhill added a pair. The regional victory brought a measure of revenge for Stevenson, which lost to the Pirates in three games last Thursday. – Daily Herald

Stevenson Wins 13th Straight NSC All-Sport Title

Stevenson won the North Suburban Conference All-Sport Championship for the 13th consecutive year, and the 17th time in the last 20 years. The all-sport championship is based on accumulated point totals based on each league school’s final standing in fall, winter and spring sports. SHS was followed by Libertyville, Warren, Lake Forest and Lake Zurich.

Boys Tennis State Tournament Opens Today

The boys tennis begins its quest for state medals today at the IHSA Class AA tournament. Stevenson qualified the maximum six players for state, two in singles and two doubles teams. In singles, junior Sam Komis and sophomore Zach Kim are 9-16 seeds, while seniors Brian Weisberg and Matt Harvey are 9-16 seeds in doubles. Also competing is the doubles team of sophomores Arjun Sheelvanth and Aswath Viswanathan. Play is scheduled to begin this morning at various District 214 schools. Komis will have his first match at Buffalo Grove, while Kim plays at Fremd. Harvey and Weisberg open play at Conant, with Viswanathan and Sheelvanth at Schaumburg. You can follow their results today, Friday and Saturday at this link. Stevenson has finished in the top 10 at the last 10 state tournaments. Previews: IHSA, Daily Herald

Boys Track and Field Team Prepares for State Meet

Five members of the boys track and field team will compete in the IHSA Class 3A state meet at Eastern Illinois University beginning Friday. Seniors Jordan Eng (long jump), Noah Lukz (100-meter dash) and Johnathan Powell (triple jump), junior Nikita Smyrnov (3,200) and sophomore Anand Batbaatar (shot put) will attempt to add to the 27 state medals the program has earned since 1981. Click here to follow state track results. IHSA preview

Leave Your Mark, Buy a Stadium Brick

Stevenson families, area business and others are invited to leave their mark at the school by buying a brick paver for placement in the southwest entrance to the Stadium. There are two options available: a traditional-sized brick (4″ x 8″) for $150 and a “super brick” (8″ x 8″) for $275. The deadline to place a brick order is next Wednesday. Click here to order your brick today.

STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

How to Return Your Textbooks

Textbook returns will be located in the Lower Sports Center from 7:30 a.m-1:30 p.m. today, and from 7 a.m. to noon Friday. After Friday, all textbooks must be returned to the School Business Office (Room 2426). Teachers should not accept any textbook returns, as this may cause a delay in processing and result in the students being fined for their books. Seniors must have all their textbooks returned, and any textbook fines paid, before they receive their diplomas.

Juniors, Don’t Put Your Senior Year in Jeopardy

Most of Stevenson’s Class of 2018 has failed to comply with the state’s meningitis immunization mandate, jeopardizing completion of their senior year. The state requires that before October 15, all students in 12th grade will provide evidence of having a meningitis vaccination on or after their 16th birthday, or of receiving two meningitis vaccinations, with the first dose given on or after their 10th birthday and the second dose at least eight weeks after the first dose. Students failing to comply with the state mandate by October 15 will be excluded from classes until the requirement is met. Questions about the requirement can be directed to the West Nurse’s Office at 847-415-4025 or 4028.

Class of 2018: Schedule Your Senior Portraits

VIP Photography is ready to book your senior portrait session! Times are available now, but they fill up fast. Please make an appointment online at studio.il.vipis.com or over the phone at 847-499-9300. Information about photo packages and pricing is available on the VIP website, studio.il.vipis.com. Please see the parent letter and senior portrait brochure for more information regarding available photo times and session information.

Have You Ever Wanted to Give a TED Talk?

Have you ever wanted to give a TED talk? Speaker applications are now being accepted for the Vernon Area Public Library’s third annual TEDx event, which will be held October 15. Applications will be accepted through Friday, June 30. Speaker applications and details can be found at http://tedx.vapld.info.

ILLINOIS EDUCATION HEADLINES

Fremont District 79 names new superintendent

Parents sue Naperville North, police over son’s suicide

Chicago charter school strike averted

Chicago in epicenter of charter school teacher contract disputes

Waukegan District 60 cuts support staff despite union concerns

Some Elgin Larkin teachers concerned as pranksters return to school

District U46 board split on charter school contract

New high school may be created in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood

Nashville teachers, school board disagree over district leadership

Normal school district eyes budget issues from lax state payments

Parent company of DeVry University changes its name