Wednesday, March 6, 2019

SHS Reaches Sectional Championship Game

Stevenson’s boys basketball team won its Illinois High School Association Class 4A Waukegan Sectional semifinal game against Deerfield Tuesday night, earning a place in the championship contest at 7 p.m. Friday. The Patriots will play the winner of tonight’s semifinal between Fremd and Waukegan.

Tickets for Friday night’s game are available at the Patriot Superstore and the Athletic Office through the final lunch period on Friday. Tickets are $5. Check, cash and credit card will be accepted. Due to the likelihood of a large crowd, the school recommends tickets be purchased in advance. Note: There is a no-hat policy at Waukegan High School. Details on Tuesday night’s victory are in the Patriot Sports section below.

Seal of Biliteracy Exam Registration Closed

Registration has closed for Seal of Biliteracy exams on Thursday, March 14 because the attendance capacity has been reached. The next round of exams will be held Thursday, April 25. Click here for registration information.

Winter Play This Weekend

The winter play, “She Kills Monsters,” will be performed Friday and Saturday in the West Auditorium. Curtain times are 7 p.m. Friday and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6. Online ticket sales end at noon Thursday. Click here to order. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door on the performance dates. Note: The production contains mature content, and may not be suitable for all ages. Click here to see the list of cast and crew.

Sophomore Earns Silver at National Taekwondo Tourney

Sophomore John (Jack) Arne won the silver medal in the Junior Light Middleweight Division at the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships Thursday in Las Vegas. The national medal capped an stellar month-long stretch during which Jack also captured the gold medal at the Michigan and Iowa state championships.

This was the fourth national medal for Jack, who first took up the sport at age 4 and earned his black belt in 2013. Jack earned a first-round bye in the 26-competitor field based on his No. 1 ranking in USA Taekwondo points among boys ages 15-17 who weigh 64-68 kilograms (141-149 pounds). He breezed to a second-round victory then scored a last-second kick to defeat his Bulgarian opponent in the quarterfinals. Jack edged a member of the Costa Rican national team in the semifinals before falling to fellow American Michael Rodriguez of the AAU National Team in the gold medal match.

The U.S. Open is the largest taekwondo tournament in the Americas, with nearly 4,000 athletes from more than 80 countries competing. Jack trains at College Park Athletic Club in Deerfield, where one of his coaches is a 1992 Olympian.

Two Students Among Finalists for Jewish Group Honor

Two students are among the finalists in the 18 Under 18 program honoring outstanding Jewish teenagers in the Chicago area. Senior Maxine Kalika and junior Andrew Scott are among the 18 under consideration for the award, which will be announced on Wednesday, April 10.

Maxine is student president of the Midwest Regional chapter of NCSY, an Orthodox Jewish youth group, and also serves as an intern with the Midwest regional office of StandWithUs. Andrew is president of the B’nai Tikvah chapter of USY, an organization for Conservative Jewish youth. He also is involved with USY at the regional and national levels.

PATRIOT SPORTS

Click here for today’s athletic schedule

Tuesday’s Varsity Results

Boys Basketball
Stevenson at IHSA Class 4A Waukegan Sectional: The Patriots defeated Deerfield, 35-29, advancing to the sectional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday. SHS (26-5), the No. 1 seed in the sectional, will face the winner of tonight’s semifinal between No. 2 Fremd and No. 3 Waukegan. Stevenson prevailed against a fifth-seeded Warriors team that had one 6-foot-10 player and another standing 6-9. Junior RJ Holmes stood tall against the Deerfield frontline, scoring a team-high 12 points, grabbing five rebounds, blocking three shots, and slamming two powerful dunks. Matthew Ambrose, one of four juniors in the starting lineup, had 11 points, four rebounds and three steals. Matthew sparked the key phase of the game at the start of the second half, hitting a pair of 3-pointers as part of a 9-0 run to which junior John Ittounas (5 points) also contributed a trey. The run gave Stevenson a 24-14 lead early in the third quarter. Deerfield (21-11) would not come closer than three points the rest of the way, pulling within 29-26 with 2:49 remaining. RJ hit a short jumper with a minute to go that stretched the Patriot lead to 31-26, then John and fellow junior Matt Kaznikov (7 points) hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the win. – Daily Herald

Boys Track and Field

Stevenson 51, Cary Grove 45: Junior Jahleel Perrin won two events to lead the Patriots (1-0) past the Trojans in the Field House. Jahleel captured the 55-meter (6.5 seconds) and 160-meter (18.9) dashes. Other individual winners included junior Jordan Vincent in the 300-meter dash (37.9) and freshman Ray Zhao in the high jump (5-11). SHS also won the 640-meter relay (1:15.5) and 1,600-meter relay (3:48.8). The Patriots play host to Palatine and Wauconda at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Field House.

STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Want to Get Involved in Volunteer Work?

Students interested in volunteer opportunities with local organizations are invited to attend the Community Volunteer Fair, which will be held from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the Vernon Area Public Library Annex, 4 Indian Creek Dr., in Lincolnshire. Twenty organizations will be represented at the free expo, which also is open to adults. Click here to see the list and for more information. The library annex is located behind the main library building. For closest parking, enter from Indian Creek Road.

Wrong About Cigarettes, Wrong About Vaping

Years ago, advertisers told us that smoking cigarettes was safe. Today, we’re getting the same message about vaping. As this week’s Catalyst video points out, then and now, these ads are just blowing smoke.

CAREER EXPLORATION

Juniors interested in health-related careers are invited to apply for the Future Healthcare Professionals Program at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. The program meets eight hours a day Monday through Friday throughout the month of June. No vacation or personal days are permitted. Applications will be accepted from March 11-29. Click here to apply and for more information.

CLUB NEWS

Breakfast with Books will be joined by local YA author Steven Hamburg at its next meeting Tuesday morning. He’ll stop by the upper ILC from 7:45-8:20 a.m. to talk about his new book, “Introspection.” All students are welcome to attend. Everyone in attendance will be entered into a raffle for autographed copies of his book!

ILLINOIS EDUCATION HEADLINES

Black college enrollment down sharply in Illinois

Naperville ranked No. 1 city in U.S. for public schools

Hinsdale high school district cutting 16 teaching positions

New ISBE superintendent supports plan for additional funding

School bus driver charged with battery after Evanston incident

Wauconda Middle School attendance boundaries may change

Police: Crystal Lake teacher told victim he flirts with students

Bill Gates lauds academic gains at Chicago high school

Waukegan board members criticize handling of abuse case

UChicago president: Trump “free speech” plan may backfire

Fire damages auditorium at Chicago elementary school

Boy sets girl’s hair on fire with teacher’s back turned

Percussion teacher keeps the beat with Bulls, Blue Man Group

NATIONAL EDUCATION HEADLINES

Parkland superintendent survives effort to oust him

AFT launches national education-funding campaign