Guo Named Distinguished Young Woman of Illinois
Senior Dora Guo won the Distinguished Young Women of Illinois contest on July 31. By winning the state competition, she earned a place in the DYW national finals next June in Mobile, Ala. Dora qualified for the state competition by winning the DYW of Vernon Hills title earlier in the summer. She was one of 11 state finalists, who were evaluated in the areas of scholastics, personal interview, talent, fitness and self-expression.
Dora is president of the Catalyst substance abuse prevention club, and also is a member of the Freshman Mentor Program, and Fostering Intercultural Respect and Empowerment (FIRE). She also is a dancer, and performed a traditional Mongolian dance during the talent portion of the DYW competition.
Lamberti Honored in IATE Prose Contest
Senior Olivia Lamberti was named a winner in the 2018 Illinois Association of Teachers of English Prose and Poetry Contest. She was honored for her piece, “All for One, One for All: Reparations Must Acknowledge Racism’s Reach.”
Trio From Catalyst Give Talk at EIU
Three students from Stevenson’s Catalyst club gave a presentation to more than 100 of their peers at the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute mid-year conference on July 25. Juniors Vrushali Thakkar and Victor Shi, and sophomore Rebekah Jin, led a session entitled “Cannibust: Busting the Myths of Teen Marijuana Use.” More than 500 students attend the conference, held at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Alum Earns Two Research Grants
University of Michigan student Gillian Rubenstein (Class of 2017) received two awards to help fund her ovarian research project this summer. She received the Histochemical Society’s Capstone Research Grant, and also earned the Marcia L. Storch, MD Scholarship Fund for Undergraduate Women from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her project, “Optimization of fixation conditions to detect hyaluronan in a tissue-specific manner,” focuses on the ovary and reproductive aging. Rubenstein is a research assistant in Michigan’s Shikanov Lab, and this summer served as an undergraduate research assistant at Feinberg.
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Skala Named New Baseball Coach
Stevenson High School has named Nick Skala as its new head baseball coach. Skala replaces Patrick Block, who stepped down in June after three seasons at the helm. Skala has been a member on the varsity coaching staff the past four seasons, serving as lead pitching coach. Prior to joining the SHS staff, Skala coached for one year at his college alma mater, Concordia University Chicago in River Forest. Skala was one of the top players in Concordia history, winning conference player of the year honors in 2011. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles the same year. Read more about the new baseball coach.
Football Team No. 11 in NBC Sports Chicago Poll
Stevenson’s football team is ranked No. 11 in the NBC Sports Chicago Preps Top 25 preseason power rankings. Second-year head coach Josh Hjorth returns 15 starters from last year’s 6-4 squad, which extended the school’s state playoff-qualifying streak to 29 consecutive seasons, longest in Illinois. Nine starters return on offense, including junior running back JM Etienne and senior quarterback Cole Okmin. Defensively, senior outside linebacker Maema Njongmeta is considered the leader. He has received multiple offers from Division I schools. The Patriots open their season at home Friday, Aug. 24 against Palatine, which also marks the Stevenson Athletics’ eighth annual Night of Champions.
Boys Cross Country Fundraiser at Portillo’s
The boys cross country team is holding a fundraiser at Portillo’s in Vernon Hills from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. Bring in this flyer or show it on your phone, and 20 percent of the sale will go to the team.
Basketball Alum Breaks Record at Indiana
Indiana University sophomore basketball player Justin Smith (Class of 2017) broke the program record for maximum vertical leap in July. Smith leaped 48 inches off the ground, breaking the old record of 42 inches. His vertical also tied the NBA combine record.
STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Update Your Student iPad
All students should update their SHS iPads to iOS 11.4.1. Need help? Stop by the SMARTdesk in the Link Lab.
Transfer Student Resource Fair on Monday
All transfer students in grades 10-12 are invited to the Transfer Student Resource Fair on Monday, Aug. 20. The fair starts at 7:45 a.m. and will run through first period in Room 2104. During the fair, transfer students will have the opportunity to interact with one another, and be introduced (or reintroduced) to their counselor. They’ll also learn about SPINS, the Transfer Student Group, co-curricular activities and athletics, and other important resources and supports available at SHS. Breakfast will be served!
Student Aides Needed for School Library
The West ILC is hiring student aides to work in the library during all class periods. If you have a free period or a study hall and you would like to work in the ILC, please see Mrs. Gorman in the upper ILC for an application. This is a paid position.
The SHS Flag Football League informational meeting will take place at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22 in Room 2104. Team packets will be distributed at this meeting. Questions? Stop by the Student Activities Office.
The Patriot eSports competitive online gaming club is gearing up for this year. The group’s first meeting of the year is after school Wednesday, Aug. 22 in Room 7026. This meeting is only for students who believe they can be a team captain, and who already have at least a partial roster in a competitive online game (PC only). So, if you feel like you can lead a team, please stop by. General club meeting dates will be announced later.
Anyone interested in working crew for the fall play and musical, or interested joining Stagecrafters, should stop by the Recital Hall after school Friday for a short meeting. Crew will begin Monday in the Performing Arts Center scene shop. Please contact Ms. Evans at aevans@d125.org with any questions.
ILLINOIS EDUCATION HEADLINES
Libertyville High might turn swimming pool into new athletic space
Highland Park High dealing with mold issue days before school opens
Voters rejected new school twice, but district building it anyway
McHenry County College ready to open state-of-the-art science facility
SIU board of trustees discusses “road map” to pick new president
IHSA punishes 17 schools for summer basketball violations
Public radio station may be leaving Bradley University campus
NATIONAL EDUCATION HEADLINES
It’s back to school in Parkland, but hardly back to normal
Government wants to teach students “mass casualty survival techniques”
Oklahoma school shuts down after parents threaten transgender student
“Airbnb for preschool” gets $20M in seed funding
University of Iowa non-tenure faculty claim win with new benefits
Move to cloud-based materials saves Ohio University $1M annually
Lunch lady sisters accused of stealing nearly $500K from cafeterias
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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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