Holocaust Survivor Returning to SHS
Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster will return to SHS next month to speak with juniors about his experience. Elster has been speaking to Stevenson students for well over 15 years. This year, however, his story takes on new relevance in light of a controversial new law in Poland. The law, signed earlier this month, forbids accusing Poland or its people of any complicity in crimes committed by Nazi Germany, including the Holocaust. Elster’s story, mentioned briefly in this recent Atlantic article, points to moral ambiguities that pervaded Poland during World War II. His visit is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14.
Archery Teams Break Records in Peoria
Stevenson’s archery teams took fourth and eighth place, respectively, and both had record-setting performances at the Anteros Archery Tournament in Peoria on Saturday. Team 1, led by tournament champion and senior Sami Hartman-Stackhouse, posted a score of 3,282, the highest in school history. Team 2 had a score of 3,110, also better than the previous record.
Sami recorded 25 bullseyes in 30 attempts en route to a 295 score, tops among all 287 high school competitors. Fellow senior Camryn Klein took eighth place in the High School Female Division with a personal-best score of 279 and 15 bullseyes. Three other Patriots finished in the top 20 among high school females, all with personal bests: junior Kara Carter (278, 13th), senior Marissa Mazzone (276, 15th) and junior Brenna Faber (273, 19th). Senior Desmond Ding was the top male performer for Stevenson, finishing 14th in the High School Male Division with a 279 and 15 bullseyes. Other archers who hit or tied their personal bests included junior Simon Honeyville (275), senior Lauren Pinto (272), junior Adhya Gowda (268), freshman David Bayer (266), junior Andrew Szwejbka (262), senior Tulsi Soni (254) and senior Caroline Ramirez (228).
Political Action Club Members on WTTW
Seven members of the Political Action Club participated in a televised forum with the six Democratic candidates for governor on Monday. The forum was aired during a special episode of WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, and was sponsored through the Mikva Challenge, which seeks to expand and enhance the role of youth voices in civic participation. Stevenson was represented by seniors Ellie Press, Josselyn Fano, Tessa Simon and Hannah Charak, junior John Fine, and sophomores Megana Adigal and Victor Shi.
eSports: Gaming for Potential Dollars
Stevenson’s eSports club was the focal point of this Daily Herald article over the weekend discussing the evolution of video game-playing into an activity that can lead to scholarships and prize money. Club sponsor James Barnabee told the paper that he has about 60 students in the club, but believes it could grow beyond 100 if more computers became available. The popularity of eSports has risen quickly, and it now is on the Illinois High School Association’s list of emerging sports or activities that could become state-sanctioned events. Approximately 50 colleges and universities offer eSports scholarships, and some of the top professional players can earn in excess of $1 million. Barnabee said two colleges have contacted him about potential eSports players. The paper also talked with senior Jerry Zhou, who helped found the club, and junior Neal Patel.
Winter Choral Concert Thursday Night
Stevenson’s curricular and co-curricular choirs will perform during the Winter Choral Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Performing Arts Center. Admission is free. For those unable to attend, the concert will be streamed live by the Stevenson Broadcast Network at www.d125.org/sbn.
Click here for today’s athletic schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 20 Varsity Results
Boys Ice Hockey
Stevenson 9, Naperville North 1: The host Patriots hammered the Huskies in the first round of the Blackhawk Cup state tournament at Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion. Six players scored for third-seeded SHS (51-17-2), which outshot No. 30 Naperville North, 64-6, en route to posting its highest-scoring game since a 10-goal outburst on Dec. 2. Senior Michael Dowd registered two goals and four assists, and juniors Carter Devlin and Billy Kopka also added two goals each. Senior Jackson Leptich scored a goal and assisted on three others, classmate Jake Camp had a goal and an assist, and sophomore Brett Stokes also lit the lamp one time. Juniors Adam Offenbach, Daniel Romm and Seth Cohen, and sophomore Emmett Baker each recorded one assist. Seniors Elias Sandholm and Nicolas Almenara split time in goal, with Elias making five saves and Nicolas stopping nine shots. Stevenson will play the winner of tonight’s game between No. 14 St. Rita and No. 19 New Trier Blue in the second round on Thursday, March 1 at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville. – Box Score
More Records Broken During Swim Sectional
In addition to breaking pool records in all three relays, the boys varsity swim team set two other records during its sectional-winning performance on Saturday. Junior Joseph Song’s winning time in the 100-yard breaststroke was 58.52 seconds, breaking the school record of 59.54 set by Chris Hodges in 2012. Junior Phoom Lertsinsongserm also broke the breaststroke mark with his third-place finish time of 58.57.
Fundraisers for Football, Girls Water Polo
Two athletic teams are holding fundraisers later this week. The football parents are having a fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Chick-fil-A, 701 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Vernon Hills. Chick-fil-A will donate 25 percent of sales to the football program; just mention “Stevenson Football” when ordering. The girls water polo team is holding a fundraiser at Jason’s Deli, 545 Lakeview Pkwy., in Vernon Hills from 5-10 p.m. Friday. Mention “Stevenson girls water polo” when ordering.
STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Click This Link to See More Announcements
Last Chance to Order Yearbooks
Students who didn’t order a yearbook last summer have one last chance. Orders can be made through Jostens now through Monday. Use this link to order online, or call 877-767-5217.
It’s Late Arrival and Hawaiian Day Thursday
The Winterfest dress-up theme for Thursday is Hawaiian Day. Friday is Green and Gold Spirit Day. Also, Thursday is a late arrival day. Classes will start at 10:30 a.m.
The Write Club meeting scheduled for today has been canceled.
The Ski and Snowboard Club trip to Wilmot on Friday has been canceled.
Winter sport ESPPA nominations are due by Friday. Please go to this link to nominate an athlete or team for one or more categories. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Hodge at mhodge@d125.org.
Thursday is the next chance for freshman student-athletes and transfer student-athletes to fulfill their requirement of attending one meeting led by the athletic director during the school year. The next meeting opportunity is from 9:45-10:15 a.m. Thursday in the West Auditorium. Topics to be covered include: expectations of and leadership opportunities for student-athletes; the Co-Curricular Code of Conduct; sportsmanship; sports health and nutrition; and Stevenson Athletics’ awards program. Attendance will be taken by scanning student IDs.
ILLINOIS EDUCATION HEADLINES
CPS watchdog finds pattern of unfair elementary admissions
Schaumburg High students plan walkout today
More teens sneaking vaping devices into suburban high schools
New Trier considers stiffer anti-vaping measures, vapor detectors
SIU chancellor, under fire, repays school for daughter’s move
Round Lake High student arrested over gun-loading video
Woodstock student arrested for posting gun photo on social media
Mundelein District 75 looks to raise funds by selling headquarters
St. Charles District 303 plans to close, repurpose elementary school
Illinois private scholarship program applications to reopen
SIU museum reopens after closing due to state budget impasse
Dundee Rotary Club finds no takers for its vocational scholarships
Chicago boys who skipped school falsely claimed being abducted
NATIONAL EDUCATION HEADLINES
Movement arises for student walkouts to protest gun violence
Copycat threats, jittery nerves force school shutdowns nationwide
Ohio middle schooler takes gun to school, shoots self in bathroom
How universities’ smart campuses resemble mini smart cities
“Big data” classes a big hit in California high schools
Basketball player kicked off team for social media posts sues school
For immigrant students, the wrong T-shirt could get you deported
Oxford comma dispute leads to $5M settlement in Maine
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The Daily Digest is compiled and edited by Jim Conrey. To subscribe or unsubscribe, contact him at jconrey@d125.org.
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