Monday, Oct. 17, 2022

“Alice” Cast And Crew Take Four Sold-Out Shows To Wonderland!

Four shows. Four sold-out audiences.

The cast, crew and staff that was a part of the children’s play, “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland,” rocked their performances over the weekend in the Black Box Theatre.

Please enjoy this full photo gallery of the production. Photos are courtesy of Joel Lerner.

Eeeeeek! It Will Be A “Spooook-tacular” Fall Orchestra Concert

It’s October, so the Stevenson Orchestra will be on point with some spooky themes in its Fall Orchestra Concert tomorrow.

The concert, running from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center, will feature all of the students at all of the various levels of orchestra offered at Stevenson.

Julie Kim will be featured as a viola soloist. She will be performing the Weber Andante and rondo ungarese with the Patriot Orchestra.

The performance is free and can also be viewed via Vimeo.

Last Day To Get Your Jalen Brunson Patriot Wellness Initiative Gear!

Newly-minted New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, a 2015 Stevenson graduate who led the Patriots to their first boys basketball state championship, is convinced that an overall focus on wellness, particularly proper nutrition and fitness, was key in helping him ascend to a level he only once dreamed of as a kid: NBA superstar.

While in town last month for his induction into the Stevenson Athletic Hall of Fame, Brunson announced a new partnership with the Stevenson Foundation to support physical and mental wellness for financially under-resourced students and families: The Jalen Brunson Patriot Wellness Initiative.

This exciting new expansion of the Foundation’s One Family (formerly Kids in Need/KIN) program ensures equitable access to essentials, tools and knowledge needed to foster lifelong wellness practices. This will include expanded access to healthy food and nutrition information as well as necessities, such as athletic wear, shoes and accessories, to enable an active lifestyle.

You can help support the wellness of all Stevenson students by ordering your JBPWI gear today – featuring the new Jalen Brunson/Patriot blended logo.

Pre-orders for Bella+Canvas long and short sleeve tees, as well as insulated 22-ounce water bottles are now open and all items will be available for school store pick-up or delivery by the beginning of November. The pre-order window will close at 11:59 p.m. TODAY. All proceeds benefit the Stevenson Foundation’s One Family program and the Jalen Brunson Patriot Wellness Initiative.

 9-WEEK MARK ~ Check Your Grades: Last week was the 9-Week Mark of the Grading Period. This would be a great time to go to the Interactive Report Card to check in on growth and progress in each class. How To Access The IRC ~ Click here to access the IRC. To log in, students should use their G-Mail credentials, and parents should use their Infinite Campus credentials. If you are having issues logging in, click here.

TUESDAY~ CHOICES IEP/504 Fair: The upcoming CHOICES Fair provides students with IEPs and 504 Plans important information to assist in postsecondary transition planning for college or post-high school educational options. This year, the program will return to its in-person format and offer informational breakout sessions prior to the college fair. Evanston Township High School (1600 Dodge Ave., Evanston) will host the Fair from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The CHOICES Resource Booklet contains information and resources on disability services and supports in college as well as general college resource information. It is available for free download at www.postsecondarychoices.org

WEDNESDAY~ Let’s Talk About Your Future: Stevenson’s annual “Let’s Talk About Your Future” event allows families to engage in meaningful conversations about their student’s interests and goals, including how course choices challenge students to grow as learners and help prepare them for post-secondary goals, as well as what new skills students would like to develop during high school and how to ensure a balance between classes, co-curricular activities and other areas of their lives. This will be a “no homework” evening to allow time for these conversations. NOTE:In one week from today (Monday, Oct. 24), Sophomores will start “Course Selection Season,” in which all students who will be returning to Stevenson next year will pick their courses for 2023-24. The 2023-24 Coursebook is available on the Stevenson website.

 THURSDAY ~ FAFSA Completion Night: The CCC FAFSA Completion Night on Thursday runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the East Learning Center (ELC). During this evening, senior families that have specific questions and/or need help completing their FAFSA can meet individually with trained staff to complete their applications. Families are encouraged to have their FSA IDs and to have started the FAFSA prior to attending. This will not be a general presentation, but rather an opportunity to ask the individual questions that you have about completing the FAFSA. For more information on the FSA ID, click here.

 FRIDAY~ Deadline For Freshmen To Schedule SCoPE Meeting: Every year, freshmen at Stevenson get an opportunity to meet with their counselor for a Student Counselor Parent Engagement (SCoPE) meeting to have a meaningful discussion about the high school experience. Through FRIDAY, freshmen may schedule these SCoPE meetings. To schedule a meeting, students should click the scheduling link in the e-mail they received from their counselor. If assistance is needed with translations, click here or e-mail your counselor.

THIS WEEK’S FAMILY ACTION NETWORK EVENTS
TUESDAY ~The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives; Where We Go Now
THURSDAY ~Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts Of People Who Think In Pictures, Patterns, And Abstractions

World’s Fair is BACK…This Weekend!  Save the Date!!

World’s Fair, sponsored by Diversity Council, is Stevenson’s LARGEST annual fair celebrating cultural diversity with a variety of performances and booths organized by students themselves and Stevenson’s many cultural affinity clubs. ALL community members are invited to attend!

This year’s World’s Fair will be held Saturday and Sunday. Booths will be offering a variety of cultural foods from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Forum and the Wood Commons, and performances will take place in the Performing Arts Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the event (including performances) is free. Food can be purchased from booths with tickets priced at $1 each.

‘Tis (Almost) The Season To Start Thinking About Giving 

The National Honor Society, proud host of Stevenson’s annual Give-A-Thon, is conducting a MANDATORY meeting on Oct. 24 for any students interested in being student leaders in their classrooms for Give-A-Thon. Meeting times are during the lunch periods in the Recital Hall.

The meetings will be offered every half period to make sure that even students who are in AP science classes can make it. Those students can grab lunch during the other part of the half period. 

Give-A-Thon shirts will be sold at the meeting for $12 (Cash or Patriot Dollars).

Don’t forget to also ask a teacher to be a Give-A-Thon leader in your class. Your teacher will register your class through an online link that they received in their e-mail. You will then help your class collect food donations and baby items, or raise money to purchase holiday gifts for a family.

Photo Re-Do: Picture Re-Take Days Are This Week

“Re-Take Pictures” will be taken on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall (Room 4100). The Re-Take Days are for students who have not yet taken a Yearbook Portrait this year OR for students who have reported a need for a new picture.

• Re-Take photos will be added to your online image gallery about a week after photo day.
• If you have any questions, please e-mail: support@vipis.com.

NOTE: Seniors who took a photo on School Picture Day AND paid for a “VIP Premier Senior Portrait Session,” the image you choose from your Premier Session gallery will be your yearbook selection. If you’d rather use an image taken during the fall School Picture Day instead, please contact support@vipis.com.

Girls Tennis: Wins Sectional; Headed Back To State!

It was “Home, Sweet Home” for the Stevenson girls tennis team, which won its own Sectional championship over the weekend on its home court, the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex.

The victory propels the Patriots to the IHSA Class 2A Girls State Tennis Finals for the second year in a row. Last year, Stevenson took second place in the state.

Now 10-1, Stevenson is eyeing its second state championship. The Patriots won the Class 2A state title in 2017. 

No. 1 singles player Sarah Wang is entering the state finals having made a statement at the sectional. She got a decisive 6-0, 6-1 win in her match. Also qualifying for state were the No. 1 doubles team of Sonia Mehta and Ainika Hou and the No. 2 doubles team of Abby Ma and Ana Sukovic.

The state finals begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday and run through Saturday at Buffalo Grove High School and neighboring District 211 and District 214 courts.

Longtime Stevenson Teacher And Coach Ina Koziol To Be Inducted Into Lake County Hall Of Fame

For 35 years, Ina Koziol taught physical education at Stevenson. And she also coached multiple sports here as well. She was Stevenson’s first girls tennis coach, from 1973 to 1975, and also coached girls basketball (1973 to 1978) and bowling (1979 to 1995). For the positive impact she made on so many athletes, Koziol is being inducted posthumously into the Lake County Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022. Koziol, who died in 2019 at age 68, was a lifelong resident of Lake County. She graduated from Western University and received her Masters Degree from the University of Illinois.

Save The Date: Fall Sports Awards Is November 14; Nominate Athletes And Teams For An ESPPA! The staff of the Athletic Department is already preparing for its Fall Sports Awards Night, held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Sportscenter for all fall athletes and their parents, and they could use your help. Nominate a Fall Athlete or Team for an ESPPA, the Exceptional Stevenson Patriot Pride Award. The deadline for nominations is Monday, Oct. 31 and incomplete nominations will not be considered. Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, and faculty/staff/coaches.

It’s Not Too Early To Start Thinking About Winter Sports

Brrrrrr! There’s a chill in the air and that means that Winter Sports will be here before you know it.

If you’re interested in trying out for a winter sport, please see the tryout dates and times linked here.

You may also go to the Athletics Page on the Stevenson website to see further information regarding each winter sport.

Athletic Results

Boys Hockey: Stevenson (10-1) hosted St. Ignatius for its first Fan Appreciation event and a Pink-Out, winning 6-4 in front of a packed house. The Patriots jumped out to an early lead with a goal from Bryan Wojdelko assisted by Tristan Caridei and Will Harlow. St. Ignatius would come back with 2 goals in the period to take a 2-1 lead into the second. Stevenson dominated the second period however, with Davis Jegers adding 2 Power Play goals both assisted by Harlow and Caridei. Caridei also had an unassisted goal in the period to put Stevenson up 4-2 going into the third. St. Ignatius fought back to even the score in the third before Dylan Jette provided the game-winning goal assisted by Jegers. Davis would add an empty-net goal in the final seconds assisted by Zach Meyers to secure the win. After defeating No.1 Loyola Gold, Stevenson moved to No.2 in the Illinois State Rankings and will be matched up against the new No.1 ranked team in the State of Illinois, New Trier Green, at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday in Winnetka.  

Girls Swimming and Diving: The Patriots (6-0) hosted the Stevenson Invite on Saturday and defeated the entire field, earning first place with a score of 413.5. Lada Volkov started the day by taking second place in 1-meter diving with a score of 426.65. The swimming then began with the 200-yard medley relay as Stevenson got its first win with a time of 1:47.96. In the 200-yard free, the Patriots placed third through fifth in a tightly contested event. In the 200-yard IM, Shay Donovan placed second, while twin sister Anika Donovan placed fourth. Stevenson dominated the 50-yard free, placing first through third. Milena Busma competed in the 100-yard fly with a time of 56.86. Hana Wienckowski followed that up in the 100-yard free earning first place with a time of 54.08. Anika Donovan placed second in the 500-yard free with a time of 5:20.14. In the 200-yard free relay, Stevenson took first and second place with times of 1:38.20 and 1:39.73, respectively. Jennifer Chen placed first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.67 and Amy Andres tied for third in the 100-yard breaststroke. In the final event, the 400-yard free relay, Stevenson teams placed first and third. Next up for the Patriots is a dual meet against conference opponent Zion-Benton at 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Aquatic Center. 

Football: The Patriots won their fourth straight game and got their third straight shutout with a 28-0 victory over Waukegan. The win sets the stage for a mega-tilt against North Suburban Conference rival Libertyville on Friday here at Stevenson, with IHSA playoff implications firmly on the line. Both Stevenson and Libertyville enter the Week 9, regular-season finale with the exact same records: 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference. Both Stevenson (35 playoff points) and Libertyville (36 playoff points) also have qualified to be considered for the playoffs based on points (5 wins and points), but the winner on Friday will automatically qualify for the playoffs with six wins. Stevenson and Libertyville are tied for third place in the North Suburban Conference behind Lake Zurich (7-1, 6-0) and Warren (7-1, 5-1). Friday’s game against Libertyville, which kicks off at 7 p.m., is also SENIOR NIGHT and a Black-Out! Don’t forget to wear black to support the Patriots!

Girls Cross Country: Stevenson (3-3) traveled to Lake Forest for the NSC Championships on Saturday, finishing in sixth place as a team with 107 points. Nanoko Seki led Stevenson, finishing ninth with a time of 19:01.23. Adeline Gobble followed in 12th place with a time of 19:19.01. Next up for the Patriots is the Regional at Grant on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.

Boys Cross Country: The Patriots (3-3) traveled to Lake Forest for the NSC Championships on Saturday and finished in fourth place with an overall team score of 89. Dylan Zimmerman finished in seventh place with a time of 15:59.52. Richard Klein (16:30.45) and Andrew Brandt (16:41.35) finished 14th and 17th, respectively. Next up for Stevenson is the Regional at Grant on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

Girls Field Hockey: The Patriots (4-8-1) hosted the first round of Sectionals against Highland Park and won, 6-0. Aditi Boddu got Stevenson started, scoring the first goal in the first quarter. Margie Finnegan and Pravika Srivastava each scored a goal in the second quarter, while Madison Olsen scored a goal during the third quarter. Giulia Palomo finished off the game by scoring 2 goals in the fourth quarter. Goalie Lilly Morrow had 11 saves. Next up for the Patriots is Lake Forest at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Antioch High School.

Sports Notes

Boys Swim/Dive Meeting: The Boys Swim/Dive Team informational meeting will be held on Wednesday. Listen to plans for this year’s tunnel vision on TEAM, get apparel ordering information and meet some of the key swimmers and divers for the upcoming season! There are two options for participation on Wednesday: In Person at 7:45 a.m. on the Pool Balcony or at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

T-Shirts For SALE: Starting Wednesday, during the lunch periods in the Wood Commons and the Glass Commons, the Athletic Department will be selling Black T-shirts for $5 for the Black-Out at Friday’s Football Game. All proceeds will be going to the Cancer Wellness Center!

Student-Athlete Meeting: Athletes who have not yet attended the mandatory student-athlete meeting can attend the meeting on Thursday from 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in the West Auditorium. Please be on time as the auditorium fills up quickly and the meeting will start promptly.

More Students In Class Of 2023 Seek Financial Aid For College
Financial aid applications may be an early sign of students regaining interest in higher education post-pandemic.

College Students Are Spending Less On Course Materials—And More On Tech
Instructors are assigning more content that’s free. Seventy-three percent of students now report being assigned free or non-paid material. This year’s spending on textbooks and other course materials represents a 26 percent fall from the previous year, when students spent $456, or $53 per course. It’s the lowest spending in fifteen years. And it’s part of a steady decline in spending on course materials since the 2007-08 school year, when students were coughing up $701 on course materials.

Mark your calendars for these events and see the Stevenson Calendar for details on these and future programs.

Oct. 17:District 125 Board Of Education Meeting
Oct. 18:Orchestra Concert 
Oct. 18:CHOICES College Fair
Oct. 18:FAN~The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives; Where We Go Now
Oct. 19:Let’s Talk About Your Future ~ No Homework Night
Oct. 20: Late Arrival
Oct. 20-21:Yearbook Photo Re-Take Day
Oct. 20:CCC FAFSA Completion Night
Oct. 20:FAN~Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts Of People Who Think In Pictures, Patterns, And Abstractions
Oct. 22-23:World’s Fair
Oct. 24: Activity Period ~ Sophomore Guidance