PPaaww PPrriinnttssWinter 2012

News and Information fromCommunity High School District 128

VHHSLHS

C a t s a n d C o u g a r sM a k i n g S p i r i t s B r i g h t

1 D i s t r i c t 1 2 8 I n f o r m a t i o n

Administrative Offices50 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 101Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061847-247-4500

Libertyville High School708 W. Park Ave.Libertyville, Illinois 60048847-327-7000

Vernon Hills High School145 N. Lakeview ParkwayVernon Hills, Illinois 60061847-932-2000

www.d128.org

Board of EducationPat Groody, PresidentKarin Lundstedt, Vice PresidentEllen Mauer, SecretaryStephen ArthurJames BatsonAlexander Delli Paoli, Jr.William Ratzer

Student RepresentativesChristian Bator and Darinka Sutic, LHSKate Lee, VHHS

AdministrationDistrictDr. Prentiss Lea, SuperintendentDr. Al Fleming, Associate SuperintendentYasmine Dada, CPA, Asst. Superintendent forBusinessDeborah Larson, Asst. Superintendent ofCurriculum and InstructionMary Todoric, Director of Communications

Libertyville High SchoolDr. Marina Scott, PrincipalEric Maroscher, Assistant PrincipalRay Albin, Assistant PrincipalOle Stevens, Director of Student Support Services

Vernon Hills High SchoolDr. Ellen Cwick, PrincipalJean Aucutt, Assistant PrincipalJon Guillaume, Associate PrincipalSue Butler, Director of Guidance

Community Education ProgramDiane Phillips, Director of CommunityEducation and Grants

Paw Prints is published quarterly duringthe school year for District 128 families.Questions and concerns should beaddressed to Paw Prints Editor MaryTodoric, Director of Communications at847-247-4513.

Superintendent’s Message

District 128 Honored for High Achievementsby Students and Teachers

Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that the 2011-2012 school year is half-over and, as a result, that we arealready preparing for year-end activities.

During our first semester, D128, LHS and VHHS have earnedrecognition for several significant achievements. Although weuse multiple benchmarks to measure progress, success andrecognition on Advanced Placement (AP®), the AmericanCollege Test (ACT), the Illinois Prairie State AchievementExamination (PSAE), National Teacher Board Certification(NBC), and the SchoolSearch Bright Red Apple program areamong those varied progress measures.

First, based on student performance on the 2011 PSAE, major Chicago area newspapersrank the top 50 Illinois public high schools. The Daily Herald also ranks Chicago subur-ban high schools on composite PSAE and ACT achievement. The great news is: LHS andVHHS have once again been ranked among the top 15 high schools in the state, regardlessof the publication: 1) the Chicago Sun-Times ranked VHHS 11th and LHS 14th in the statefor PSAE composite; 2) the Chicago Tribune ranked VHHS 14th and LHS 15th in thestate for PSAE composite; and 3) the Daily Herald ranked VHHS 4th and LHS 5th forPSAE composite, while LHS ranked 5th and VHHS ranked 10th in ACT compositeamong Chicago suburban high schools.

Second, D128 has once again received the Bright A+ Award for academic excellence fromSchoolSearch. SchoolSearch, an educational research and consulting firm that works withmajor corporations to provide relocating employees with objective school information,awards Bright A+ recognition to the top 5% of state public school districts based on stu-dent achievement (in Illinois, based on the student performance on PSAE and ACT). D128is one of only 59 of Illinois’ 868 school districts to receive the 2011 Bright A+ Award.

Third, the College Board recognized D128 as one of 367 U.S. school districts named to its2nd Annual AP Honor Roll for increasing the number of students taking AP courses andtests while maintaining or improving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 orhigher. D128 has doubled the number of students taking AP courses and tests over the pastdecade while maintaining or exceeding historic AP test pass rates.

And finally, we have been notified that nine additional D128 teachers have met the rigor-ous requirements to earn National Board Certification (NBC) on their first attempt. In con-text, only 40% of teachers seeking NBC nationally earn certification on the first attempt,.However, the first attempt certification rate for D128 teachers was 64%. In addition, LHSranked 3rd in the nation for its number of new NBC teachers. The nine new NBC teachersjoin earlier D128 NBC teachers Brian Twadell, Paul Reiff and Wendy Meister-Louriato bring our total to 12. We extend a very special appreciation, congratulations and thanksto our new NBC teachers: Maggie Casteleyn (Science), Laura Guiard (InternationalLanguages), Katie Hyla (Family and Consumer Science), David Kahn (Science), JoyceKleinheinz (Physical Welfare), Andrea Lara (Social Studies), Patricia Nora (English),Lauren Rust (Social Studies) and Kristin Tarrant (Family and Consumer Science).

As always, our continued success is the result of a focused and sustained partnershipbetween the D128 Board, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, community, andof course, our students. We will continue to work together to ensure that all studentsachieve and succeed at higher levels. In doing so, we will build upon the D128 legacy ofexcellence.

Sincerely,

Prentiss G. Lea, Ph.D.Superintendent

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Illinois State Scholars Announced

LHS and VHHS Parents:

Stay up-to-date with breaking District 128news by following D128 on

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-

High-School-District-128/257165052379

and

Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/District128

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has releasedthe names of the 2011-12 Illinois State Scholars. Congratulationsto the 217 seniors at Libertyville High School and Vernon HillsHigh School who have received this honor. Illinois StateScholars rank in the top 10 percent of high school seniors.Selection is based on SAT, ACT and/or Prairie StateAchievement Exam scores, and/or class rank at the end of thejunior year. ISAC recognized 17,335 students from 749 highschools across the state as 2011-12 Illinois State Scholars.

Libertyville High School:Nicholas Ackerman, Tanmay Adya, Maxwell Allen, JovanaAndrejevic, Nina Andrejevic, Rodrigo Arreola-Rovelo,Michael Babowice, Sean Baird, Sandeep Balasubramanian,Manuel Bardina, Christian Bator, Ryan Bennett, KelseyBrunstrum, Kevin Burke, Derick Carnazzola, SarahChaitoff, Jonathan Chi, Kevin Chiou, Ryan Condron,Wesley Cotterman, Nicolas Coutre, Albert Cowsky, WilliamCrusey, Alyssa Curry, Marc D'Antonio, Crystal Duris,Melanie Eichhorn, Alyssa Everding, Jessica Faber, DemetraFrangos, Sabrina Garofolo, Lindsey Gilbert, DanielGoldman, Anderson Grant, Kimberly Guido, MarisaGurovski, Stephanie Hanagan, Kelsey Heffern, Kevin Heller,Bethani Holloway, Nathan Honold, Easton Huch, ChristianJacob, Osman Jamil, Kelly Jefferies, Audrey Johnston,Samantha Julian, Nikhil Kamath, Samuel Kaplan, MatthewKing, Eileen Knauff, Gokul Krishnan, Nicole Kruckman,Clayton Kullander, Craig Kym, Christopher Lample,Natalie LaPlant, Emily Lee, Mary Kathryn Lee, MatthewLemay, Jeremy Lenz, Andrew Loiacono, Anthony Mack,Meghan Maddock, Orko Manna, Kathryn Marhenke,Connor Mason, Luke Mathewson, Kevin McQuillen,Charles Meyer, Molly Moon, Michael Mudd, RebeccaMueller, Allison Muskat, Zachary Norton, Olivia Obenland,Rebecca Oh, Hannah Oswald, Michael Parker, TimothyPawlicki, Brittany Piazzi, Jonathan Polikoff, Meaghan Polk,Lauren Post, Bradley Rafferty, Kyle Rasmussen, JacobRezell, Kerry Risley, Taylor Ronne, David Sachs, Taylor

Salata, Luke San, Jared Sangsomwon, Lauren Schick,Lindsay Schweitzer, Lauren Seefeldt, Daniel Shay, JessicaSilvis, Amy Sleep, Kelly Sloan, Madison Slone, JamieStanley, Robert St. Claire, Valerie Steinhauser, CarlyStrecker, Ellen Sutter, Taylor Suydam, Molly Sweeney,Cameron Taylor, Darwin Townsend, Hannah Travers,Elizabeth Ulanday, Suzanne Vachula, Anthony Valente,Stefan Vidovich, Eric Villanueva, Demetri Vlahakis, KaitlynWaehner, Patrick Wlodarski, Nathan Wolf, Rachel Wood,Norah Zaza, Amanda Zhang, Nicole Zhang, Alison Zupkus.

Vernon Hills High School:Sanchita Agrawal, Marc Alexander, Dana Andrea, JessicaBao, Madeline Bartsch, Tanaya Bhardwaj, Lindsey Block,Victoria Calderone, Evan Calfee, Ranjan Chakrabarty,Elizabeth Chapman, Elizabeth Chertok, Daniel Cho, MelodyChua, Timothy Claussen, Kyle Cotteleer, Martin CrowleyIV, Christine Currie, Grace Dobbertin, Benjamin Donato,Jeremy Dorn, David Goldberg, Magdalene Gorski, BrettGreenberg, Lauren Groody, Matthew Gwin, Philip Hanson,Connor Healey, Olivia Hogan, Ian Hough, Cathy Joo,William Joo, Mark Juhn, Timothy Kang, Rahul Kantharia,Kevin Kim, Catherine Knier, David Kocoj, Elliot Kozil,Rachel Kucharz, Nicholas LaLuzerne, Eric Lang, KathleenLao, Kristina Lea, Anna Lebiedzinski, Grace Lee, Grace S.Lee, Joo Lee, Zack Lee, Sarah Lehman, Abigail Letts,Jordan Levine, Nathan Lightman, Zhenni Lin, AmbrinLing, Kera Ling, Rachel Lira, Samuel Liu, Petr Lukin,Priyanka Mangtani, Kaitlan Manning, Carly Manso, JosephMarsek, Megan Meline, Anya Mollenhauer, DanielMontgomery, John Nam, Nicole Nathanson, Steven Nelson,Eric Niskanen, Michelle Nussbaum, Sasi Pandravada, TylerPeterson, Alexey Pomogaev, Elizabeth Reinert, BenjaminRosenberg, Andrew Salerno, Anna Schapiro, JonathanSchroh, Amy Sebastian, Justin Shang, Keunsup Shin, CarlyShless, Graydon Skeoch, Anne Starykowicz, JeremySullivan, Jennifer Swartz, Jeremy Szwaya, Andrew Tung,Courtney Umphress, Hee Chan Woo.

Senior Residents Enjoy AnnualHoliday Dinner and Concert

Nearly 400 senior residents of District 128 enjoyed the annu-al Holiday Dinner and Concert held Dec. 13 at LibertyvilleHigh School. The dinner was served by members of the LHSNational Honor Society and volunteers from the District 128District Office and LHS staff.

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Nine D128 Teachers Receive National Board Certification

District 128's newest National Board Certified teachers were recognized at the District 128 Board of Education'sDecember meeting. Pictured at the meeting are: (front row) Kristin Tarrant, Lauren Rust, Patricia Nora, Joyce Kleinheinz,David Kahn, Katie Hyla, Maggie Casteleyn, Superintendent Prentiss Lea, LHS English Department Supervisor Paul Reiff,(back row) Board of Education President Pat Groody, LHS English Teacher Brian Twadell, Andrea Lara, Laura Guiard.

Community High School District 128 embarked upon a National Board Certification awareness campaign during the 2009-10school year. Led by District 128 Nationally Board Certified Teachers Brian Twadell and Paul Reiff, the program continues todraw new Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School candidates to the program. Paul and Brian have been pow-erful mentors to the teachers, helping their colleagues through the NBC process, which is not only an amazing form of profes-sional development but, ultimately, recognition of their professionalism and dedication to the field of teaching.

National Board Certification is achieved through performance-based assessment and testing that takes one to three years tocomplete. While state teacher credentialing programs set the basic requirements to teach in each state, National BoardCertified teachers must demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. Completion of the National Board ofProfessional Teacher Standards certification process signifies that teachers have developed and demonstrated the skillsrequired of an accomplished education professional. By completing the certification renewal process, these accomplishedteachers show that they continue to meet the nation's highest teaching standards.

District 128 is proud to recognize its nine newly board certified teachers, who bring the District's total to 12 National BoardCertified teachers:David Kahn--Science

Special Olympics Coach Andy ComptonReceives Maggiano’s Hero AwardDistrict 128 Special Olympics Coach Andy Compton was recognized as an outstand-ing supporter of Special Olympics Illinois when he was awarded a 2011 Maggiano’sHero Award. Compton received the honor at a dinner and presentation held atMaggiano’s Little Italy in Schaumburg on Nov. 30. For the fifth year in a row,Maggiano’s Schaumburg has helped Special Olympics Illinois honor key volunteersand supporters in the Chicagoland area who have made major contributions to SpecialOlympics. Coach Compton was one of nine Hero Award recipients for 2011.

Special Olympics Illinois cited the following reasons for presenting the award to CoachCompton:

Andy Compton feels strongly about the many opportunities that Special Olympicsprovides to children and adults. Because of his efforts, cont. on p. 27

Lauren Rust -- Social Studies

Andrea Lara -- Social Studies

Maggie Casteleyn -- Science

Joyce Kleinheinz -- PhysicalEducation

Laura Guiard -- InternationalLanguages

Katie Hyla -- Family &Consumer Sciences

Kristin Tarrant -- Family &Consumer Sciences

Patricia Nora -- English

D i s t r i c t N e w s 4

The District 128 Foundation forLearning Board of Trusteesannounced the 10 recipients of its2011-2012 Innovation Grants at aspecial recognition ceremony andluncheon held Nov. 23 at theDistrict 128 Administration Center.This year's recipients received$20,438 in funding for projects thatwill enhance and enrich studentlearning at Libertyville High Schooland Vernon Hills High School.

In the previous four years, theFoundation has awarded $30,420 inInnovation Grants to District 128staff. This year’s grants bring thetotal awarded to $50,858.

The District 128 Foundation forLearning provides resources forinnovative and creative instructionalideas that enrich the experiences and programs for students inCommunity High School District 128. Founded in 2007, theFoundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit, autonomous, tax-exemptorganization. It is led by a group of dedicated local communityleaders in business and education who want to make LHS andVHHS the best they can be.

2011-12 Innovation Grant RecipientsCatherine Marcell, LHS – EMPOWER Learning Series:This is a unique program that targets specific executive function-ing skills related to independent functioning and academic suc-cess. Many students in the Tutorial E. Program have disabilitiesthat negatively impact their mastery of a variety of executivefunctioning skills. As a result, these students are unable to con-sistently demonstrate their abilities and potential in academicsettings. The EMPOWER Learning Series will provide opportu-nities for consistent and purposeful practice of essential skillsthat will allow students to achieve success across academic andsocial-emotional domains. Awarded $1,324.36

Lynda Ward, LHS – iPads for Special Needs Students,Special Resource Department: This project will provide eightiPads for use with our special needs students. Developing andenhancing the educational experience of all students is the mainthrust of the implementation of technology into the classroom.Students with cognitive disabilities will use the motivating,responsive and intuitive iPad2, both visually and tactility, tomore fully engage with the curriculum, classroom and commu-nity. Students will utilize the user-friendly iPad2 to accommo-date learning disabilities, improve productivity, improve aca-demic performance in mathematics, reading, writing, and theacquisition of life skills such as managing their time and money.Awarded $4,000 (funding exception granted by District 128Foundation for Learning)

Mark Buesing, Mike Cook, LHS – Doceri in the Classroom:This project will utilize the Doceri Remote iPad app and DoceriDesktop software. With the app and software, the teacher cancontrol the computer, easily launch any document or application,and annotate over them at any time. The teacher can save draw-ings and play them back in the future allowing even better pre-sentations to be created from existing PowerPoint or presenta-tion slide shows. With the Doceri System, the teacher can pre-pare an engaging lesson in advance using any presentation soft-ware, or entirely within the Doceri annotation application usingthe handwriting and drawing capabilities of the iPad. The lessonis then played back at any speed amending it at any time. If astudent was absent or simply wanted additional review, theentire lesson including handwritten notes and voice over can beplayed back by the student. Awarded $1,914

Matt Thompson, Lauren Rust, Andrea Lara, LHS – SocialStudies – iPads: This project will utilize iPads to continue to usetechnology to enhance the classroom experience. There aremany purposes the iPad can serve in the social studies class-room. Presentations can be made and shared easier, create mindmaps to aid revision or plan projects, explain research expecta-tions and help in the paper-writing process, easier collaborationon Google Docs, Primary Source Journaling, Google Earth –Geography Application and Battle Sights, etc. The project willenhance the curriculum, especially as we will think of additionalways to use it in our PLCs. Awarded $2,000

Ellen Macias, VHHS – Class Set of Flip Cameras: This proj-ect involves the purchase of a class set of cameras which willenable teachers to assign video-related projects and know thatstudents will have access to cameras that are compatible withour school computers. In addition to future availability to otherclasses, the Freshman Literature and Composition team plans toutilize these cameras for a Romeo and Juliet project this spring.

District 128 Foundation for Learning Awards More Then $20,000 inInnovation Grants to LHS/VHHS Teachers and Staff

District 128 Foundation for Learning Trustees presented 10 Innovation Grants toLibertyville and Vernon Hills High School teachers and staff. Pictured at the Nov. 23 grantpresentation are: (front row)Superintendent Dr. Prentiss Lea, Lynda Ward, Tingting Zhao,Nancy Tassler, Ellen Macias, Mary Kate Polzin, Anne Malecki, Dyan Naslund, SherriRukes, District 128 Foundation for Learning Chairperson Anne Landgraf, FoundationTrustee Scott Luce, (back row) Catherine Marcell, Mark Buesing, Radhika Joshi, MikeCook, Lauren Rust, Andrea Lara, Matthew Thompson, Craig Schmidt

cont. on p. 5

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District 128 Community Education Programsby Diane Phillips, Director of Community Education & Grant Management

The Community Education Office is preparing for our Winter/Spring semester. A small sample of our new course offeringsincludes: Beading, Chocolate 101, Using Google Docs, Rejuvenating Your Retirement, Become Your Own Health Advocate,Spanish for First Responders, A Guy's Guide to the Professional Wardrobe, Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness, BikeMaintenance, Handwriting Analysis, Wine Making and Appreciation, and many new cooking classes. Our hope is that you will tryone of them. Taking a class is a great way to meet others and a fun way to learn something new.

We are also very excited about the wide selection of Summer Youth classes we have for Summer 2012. Classes/mini camps willinclude offerings in the areas of science, engineering, cooking, sewing, arts, fishing, theater, computers, self-defense, guitar, andmore. These will be great activities to keep young minds working and inspired!

Our Community Education program partners with several organizations that allow our program to offer an even larger selection ofclasses. We continue to partner with Stevenson High School's Community Education Program, and we have expanded the numberof partnerships that we have with our local businesses and with our area first responders. We also continue to partner with Educationto Go which gives our Community Education Program the opportunity to offer over 350 online classes in many different contentareas.

SENIORS: If you are a District 128 Gold Card holder (offered free to District 128 Senior Citizens), you can receive a discount onmany of the classes that we offer. Please call our office at 847-932-2176 so that we can arrange for you to receive the discount. Visitthe D128 Community Education website at www.ComEd128.org to check out our full selection of classes. Our catalog wasreleased Dec. 27 and classes will begin the week of Jan. 23, 2012.

Teachers will use technology, via the cameras, as a way to helpstudents access Shakespeare’s language. Awarded $1,999.95

Craig Schmidt, Anne Malecki, Mary Kate Polzin, DyanNaslund, LHS – Writers’ Week 2012: This project will bringfamous/celebrity authors to speak to our students about writing.The grant money will enable us to pay for a celebrity author (anauthor the students know and are excited about) to visit ourschool in the spring of 2012. He/she will speak to hundreds ofour students, inspiring them to achieve success and become bet-ter writers. Writers’ Week is a four-day event that will motivatestudents to take pride and care in their writing. Local and nation-al authors will discuss what they do, what they’ve learned, andwhy they love writing. Selected students and faculty memberswill share their creative writing pieces with the rest of theschool. We will see that writing is more than an academic pur-suit, but a means by which to achieve satisfaction, stretch ourcreative legs, and make a difference in the world. Awarded$2,000

Sherri Rukes, LHS – APPS for Chemistry: This project willutilize iPad/APP technology to provide students the ability to seevarious simulations/databases for various types of equipment tohelp them learn more about the analytical tools of chemistry.These apps will give students an opportunity to see how the iPadcould enhance chemistry learning. Apps such as the one on theelements, the NMR database, molecule drawing and 3D render-ing, etc. are available for students and schools to use. The proj-ect will be used in two different ways. First, the project will beused as another tool to create more interaction with the studentsin classroom discussions and lectures. Second, this hardwarewill be used as a lab station or reference station for use by stu-dents. Awarded $1,200

Sherri Rukes, LHS – Extruding Bioplastics: This project will

give students an understanding of how bioplastics are formed,the various types of bioplastics, their uses, and the differencebetween compostable, biodegradable, and degradable means.Students will be able to make various types of bioplastics aswell as extrude the plastic to make different pieces. This givesstudents a better understanding of the whole process of how aplastic is made to the manufacturing process, whether it is a bio-plastic or traditional petroleum plastic. Students will learn theconcept of polymers and their traits in a fun, more applicable,real life situation. Awarded $2,000

Sherri Rukes, LHS – Looking at Glass in a New Light: Thisproject will allow students to learn how to make various types ofglass, color glass with various transition metals and learn aboutthe properties of glass, while learning the chemistry behind it.Students will learn the unique traits of glass as well as the diffi-culty of making lab equipment. In addition, students will learnthe composition of different types of glass which will allowthem to see how that composition relates to the various proper-ties of the different types of glass such as soda lime glass, tem-pered glass, and quartz glass. The students will gain anotheraspect of how the concepts of chemistry are used with everydayitems. Awarded $2,000

Tingting Zhao, Nancy Tassler, Radhika Joshi, LHS andVHHS – iPads and Applications for Chinese I and ChineseII Honors: The purpose of this project is to utilize the iPad2with our existing technologies to develop students’ reading, writ-ing, listening, and speaking skills in the Chinese language.Students will see how language-specific characters projectedfrom the iPad2 to the class are formulated stroke by stroke. TheiPad2 can be used both in the classrooms and language labs as amodel for spoken and written Chinese and will be incorporatedinto both student and teacher electronic presentations. Awarded$2,000.

Innovation Grants cont. from p. 4

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High School Teen Norms Survey

Libertyville High School Parent/ Guardian Passive Consent Form

Libertyville High School is asking parents to allow their students to fill out the High School Teen NormsSurvey that will be administered at LHS on Feb. 29, 2012. The survey will serve as a needs assessment forthe school; guiding future programming decisions in the areas of substance abuse prevention and otherhealth-related issues. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and will be administeredduring your student's third period class. The survey was developed by Northern Illinois University.

The survey is voluntary and anonymous. If there are any questions your child does not wish to answer, he/she may skip those questions or stop taking the survey altogether. Students will be reminded of these condi-tions before the survey is administered.

The questions included in the survey will address the following: Personal alcohol, tobacco and drug use;perceptions of peer alcohol, tobacco and drug use; perceptions of school environment. If you have anyquestions regarding the survey, please contact Todd Schneider at 847-327-7030

If you DO NOT want your child to participate in this survey, please sign and return this form to ToddSchneider, Libertyville High School S.A.P. Coordinator. This form may be faxed to 847-327-7177 or an e-mail may be sent to todd.schneider@d128.org by 11:00 a.m., Feb. 27. Your decision to decline your stu-dent's participation in the survey will not, in any way, influence you or your child's relationship withLibertyville High School.

My signature below indicates that I have read and understand the above explanation of the survey and I DONOT want my child to participate in the High School Teen Norms Survey that is being administered atLibertyville High School on Feb. 29, 2012.

_________________________________________________ ____________________Student's Name Date

_________________________________________________ ____________________Parent's Name Date

Please make a copy of this form for your records.

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by Todd Schneider, LHS SAP Coordinator

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Vernon Hills High School ResourceOfficer Jeff Cielak presented a Lunch and Learn for all fac-ulty and staff at VHHS. The presentation entitled,"Understanding Teen Drug Trends" provided information oncurrent teen drug and alcohol substance use. Included in thepresentation were statistics outlining teen use both nationallyand locally along with the signs and symptoms of adolescentdrug abuse. As part of the presentation, recovering teens fromthe Child, Adolescent and Family Development Center inLake Bluff gave their testimonies and shared the importanceof teachers reaching out and sharing their concerns withchanges they see in a student’s behavior. Dr. Heather Hale, apsychologist from the center helped to answer questions on

intervention with students and shared the positives of rehabil-itation for teens.

On Nov. 18, the Libertyville High School S.A.P. Committeehosted an in-house educational program for staff members.The topic of the presentation was on adolescent substance useand treatment and was facilitated by Ryanne Bright andThomas Miller, substance abuse specialists from The Child,Adolescent & Family Recovery Center. Participants learnedthe signs and symptoms of adolescent drug use, currenttrends, and the treatment modalities utilized to address theseissues.

SAP Sponsors “Lunch and Learns” at LHS and VHHS

CPHY Looks Forward to January Band Jam Following SuccessfulNovember and December Eventsby Margaret Pither, VHHS SAP Coordinator

Community Partnership for Healthy Youth (CPHY) continues to collaborate with local businesses in an effort to reduce under-age drinking and substance use. On Nov. 10, the Sullivan Community Center of Vernon Hills partnered with CPHY to host ourfirst student Band Jam of the semester. Several student bands from District 128 performed throughout the evening to includelocal favorites as Chains Unbroken, Mystic Tomato, Norahil, Pearly Gates, Penguin Flight School and Un-oxidized. Aspecial thank you to Libertyville Music for its continued donations to these events, Mr. Jess Smith for his technical/ soundsupport, the Sullivan Center faculty and CPHY parent chaperones who worked together to make this a successful evening.

On Dec. 16, Jason's Deli of Vernon Hills partnered with CPHY to host our first acoustic/game night. For a minimal fee,attendees enjoyed a relaxed evening of unlimited soda and ice cream as they socialize, play games and listen to local acousticartists.

On Jan. 12, Austin's Saloon and Restaurant, 481 Peterson Road, Libertyville, will continue its tradition of supportingCPHY's mission by hosting its third CPHY Band Jam. In addition to these sponsored events, CPHY student and parent com-mittees continue to be in contact with local businesses to market the prevention message. If you would like further informa-tion regarding CPHY and how you can contribute to its mission, please call Todd Schneider 847-327-7030 or MargaretPither 847-932-2158.

CPHY is Now on Facebook!Keep up with the latest happenings, upcoming band jams and more by “liking” the

Community Partnership for Healthy Youth (CPHY) fan page on Facebook.

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News from the VHHS CRCby Scott Birtman, VHHS College Counselor

Merit-Based Financial Aid One of the most commonly asked questions by parents is, "How arewe possibly going to pay for college?" There are two basic forms offinancial assistance available for college-bound students. They are'merit-based' and 'need-based' aid. Need-based aid is determined bya family's ability to pay for college, their income, assets, etc. Merit-based financial aid is assistance for which "financial need" is notused to determine the recipient. The recipient of this aid may bedetermined by his or her athletic, academic, artistic or other abilities.The actual monetary value of the scholarship can range the gamutof the entire cost of education. Colleges and private sources awardmerit-based scholarships for unique talents and achievements ormeeting other donor-specific qualifications. The rewards are usual-ly renewable, provided the student maintains a strong GPA. Mostprivate colleges and universities have detailed merit-based programsto not only help offset the cost of college, but also reward & recruitoutstanding students. The student with a financial need and who isalso a top scholar may have some difficult decisions at the end ofhis/her senior year. Colleges and universities are always looking to"land" top scholars or talents. They will use the allure of scholar-ship dollars to attract you and/or your parents, to their institution.Some schools, including the Ivy League, University of Notre Dameand Northwestern University, do not offer merit awards. Decisiontime! School A for $58,429 yr/+ or School B for $17, 500/yr?

At Lake Forest College the cost of education (COE) for the 2011-12is $45,480*. This is one of the highest COE in the state of Illinois.However, Illinois residents receive an automatic $12,000 year,because they live in the state. The university's average aid packagefor freshmen showing financial need was over $24,000. Doesn't$21,000/year sound better than the sticker price of over $45,000? Inaddition to the value-added opportunity to check on your kid everysingle weekend! Much of this package will include the merit-baseduniversity scholarships. At another private school, VanderbiltUniversity, the COE is $58,554. The average package for thosewith need was $40,507. Vanderbilt University gave over $19 mil-lion non-need-based gift assistance last year. Take a closer look atthose "out-of-state" state schools your kids were admitted to andwhether the incentive of resident tuition makes economic sense.

The Class of 2011 saw more students leaving the state and fewerstudents attending private schools. In spite of the nation's overalleconomy we are seeing additional scholarship opportunities for thestudents at Vernon Hills. Many elite universities are continuing tocommit to assisting students with financial need. Many of thesecolleges have enormous endowments which suffered through thesetimes and many have regained their value. These universities essen-tially use a sliding scale to determine the individual cost of educa-tion.

If you have questions regarding merit-based financial aid, see yourcounselor or stop by the CRC.

*Lake Forest College, 2011.

Financial Aid Information Please visit the CRC website to help understand the process of col-lege financial aid. The CRC website is loaded with timely informa-

tion. The Scholarship Bulletin provides information regarding themost up-to-date scholarships available for student application. Bothlocal and national scholarship opportunities are posted via the web-site and are also available to students in the CRC. There are numer-ous free web-based scholarship search sites including the CollegeBoard. The month of January marks the true beginning of thefinancial aid process. After Jan. 1, 2012 the FAFSA (FreeApplication Financial Student Aid) can be completed. This federalform or the CSS/Profile (private) must be completed for college anduniversities to determine the eligibility for financial assistance.Please note both forms allow you to estimate your 2011 income,prior to completing your taxes. After your tax return is submitted,you are able to edit the original with any changes. Use the followingURL's to proceed:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp

Please make note of the following dates:

Financial Aid Night Jan. 4, 2012, 7:00 p.m.Scott Seibring, Ill. Wesleyan University

Junior Parent Night Feb. 16, 2012, 7:00 p.m.VHHS Studio Theater

CLC College Fair March 13, 2012, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.College of Lake County, Grayslake

CRC Open House March 14, 2012, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.VHHS CRC

CRC Open House April 5, 2012, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.VHHS CRC

Sophomore Info Night April 17, 2012, 7:00 p.m.VHHS Auditorium

ACT Test PrepThe VHHS ACT Test-Prep class is scheduled for 2012. For the38% of the Junior class who enrolled, there was an overall pointgain of +2.64 from pre-test to actual ACT last year. The cost is $180per student. There are over 14 hours of instruction by VHHS teach-ers. There are nine sessions scheduled from 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.twice per week and additional pre/post testing. The class will endprior to the April 14 ACT and the April 24 Prairie State Exam ACT.Registration deadline is Jan. 20. Space is limited. Visit the CRCwebsite.

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News from the LHS College Resource Centerby Amy Belstra, LHS College Counselor First, a few numbers and statistics:

As of Dec. 1, 78% of the Class of 2012 has submitted at least onecollege application.

Over 1,889 transcripts have been ordered and sent to colleges.

Currently, the senior class is averaging 3.3 applications per stu-dent.

Over 175 colleges visited LHS this fall, and representatives typi-cally talked with anywhere from one to 75 students during theirtime on our campus.

Virtually 100% of students' college applications have been com-pleted online.

In our first year of sending electronic documents, over 95% of ourtranscripts and recommendation letters were sent to colleges usingthis method.

Yes, it has been a busy fall in the CRC, as essays were polished,online applications completed, and scholarship searches begun. Forthose students who are still navigating the college applicationprocess, our doors are open. Our hope is that each and every senior,regardless of their final plan, will complete a college application.Why? Students' post-high school lives will be about completing alltypes of applications: perhaps for a job, a car loan, or an apartmentlease. Knowing how an application process works is a lesson thatapplies to so many life situations. And, of course, pursuing furthereducation is a worthy goal!

As the application process winds down for most, students and par-ents now focus on financing college. Below are some tips and pro-grams for families as they move into the next phase of the collegeprocess.

For Seniors:Be aware that many colleges request a Midyear Grade Report (alsocalled a Seventh Semester Transcript) to evaluate your academicprogress. Strive for a strong finish to your semester! Colleges willalert you via email or letter if they need your seventh semestergrades. Remember to turn in a Transcript Release Form to theRegistrar for each college that needs Seventh Semester grades.After Jan. 1, 2012, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA) is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Parents and stu-dents must both apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN)before you can begin the FAFSA. You may file the FAFSA any-time after Jan. 1, 2012 and many colleges recommend you file itbefore Feb. 15, 2012. If you do not have your 2011 tax information,you should file the FAFSA with estimated figures, and update it ifnecessary when you receive all your tax forms.

Some colleges also require the CSS Profile, available online athttps://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp. A list of col-leges and universities that require the CSS Profile is available onthis website. The Profile can be filed as early as October of the sen-ior year; if required, families should submit this form as soon aspossible after Jan. 1.

Seniors interested in scholarships should continue to check ourNaviance Scholarship List for local and regional scholarships. Toaccess this list:Click on the Colleges tab at the top of the Naviance homepageScroll down to the Scholarships & Money section, and click onscholarship listThe list is updated frequently, so check back often.

National scholarship databases can be found on websites like:www.fastweb.comwww.scholarships.comwww.scholarshipexperts.com

And remember to check with your individual colleges about specificscholarships they may offer.

Students and parents who would like individual help completingtheir FAFSA have several options in our area:

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, senior families will have the oppor-tunity to complete the FAFSA with the help of college financial aidprofessionals here at LHS as part of our FAFSA CompletionWorkshop. Pre-registration is required for this program, which willbe held in the LHS Computer Lab. Slots will be available at 6:30 or7:15. Watch your mail and email in early January for registrationinfo.As part of the College Goal Illinois program, CLC is offering afree FAFSA Completion Workshop on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 from9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Grayslake Campus. For more information,contact CLC at (847) 543-2062.

For Juniors:Our “Cats to College Junior Workshop” is Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012at 6:30 p.m. in the LHS Auditorium. All juniors and parents shouldattend this workshop as you tackle the tough questions: What typeof college is right for me? What do I really want to study? Whatreally is the difference between public and private? College andUniversity? Representatives from a wide variety of schools will beon hand to answer your questions.

For Parents of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors:SAVE THE DATE! On Monday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the VHHSAuditorium, we are excited to bring Frank Palmasani, formeradmission professional and current school counselor, back toDistrict 128. Frank will present his honest and upfront program:"Conquering the Challenges of College Costs-Finding FinancialFits.” If you would like to learn more about finding your "financialfit," check out Frank's website at www.managingcollegecost.com.

As always, please contact the CRC if you have any questions at847.327.7161 or email me at amy.belstra@d128.org.

F i n e A r t s 1 0

District 128 Musicians and Vocalists Selected forAll-State IMEA FestivalDistrict 128 is pleased to announce the student musicians andvocalists selected for the All-State IMEA Festival. TheFestival will take place in January 2012 in Peoria.

Libertyville High SchoolBand:Diana Grote (11) Tuba (Orchestra Winds)Taylor Isberg (11) ClarinetLuke San (12) Tenor SaxClayton Kullander (12) BassoonLaura Andrew (11) Bass Trombone

Orchestra:Ingrid Reid (11) Cello

Choir:Audrey Johnston (12) Alto Camille Michelotti (11) Alto Matt Tassler (12) Bass

Vernon Hills High SchoolBand:Maddie Bartsch (12) Bb Clarinet Mouna Ben Hadj Tahar (12) Flute Tori Calderone (12) Flute Melody Chua (12) Flute Paige Kibbler (11) French Horn

Orchestra:Lisa Chertok (12) Violin 1 Ann Ho (10) Viola Daniel Montgomery (12) Violin 1 Keunsup Shin (12) Viola Justin Song (10) Violin 2 Joe Zhai (11) Violin 2

Choir:Drew Echales (12) Bass I Philip Hanson (12) Tenor I Ian Hoffman (12) Tenor II Kate Lee (12) Soprano I Joey Marsek (12) Bass I David Zepeda (12) Bass II

Students Honored in 5x7 Art ShowStudent artists and teachers from Libertyville and VernonHills High Schools received the following honors at the Dec.8, 5 x 7 Art Exhibit held at Waukegan High School:

Vernon Hills High SchoolBest of Show Trophy Winner:

Patrick Hamrick

Best of Show Categories Medal:Drawing: Sierra CarrollPrintmaking: Elina YufaPhoto: Rishi Ling

Honorable Mention Categories:Drawing: Ambrin LingPainting: Ann Ho, Tiffany DoPrintmaking: Olivia WeaverPhoto: Julie Gartsman, Brad Feinman,

Brittany Maslov

Libertyville High SchoolHonorable Mention Categories:Photo: Rachel Wood, Alexis Petrzilka

Honorable Mention District 128 Teachers:Allison Molloy, Stefanie Dahlstrom

Sounds of the Season

District 128’s talented student vocalists made the holiday season brighter for those in the District 128 community andbeyond through their many musical events. The LHS choirs, under the direction of Dr. Jeff Brown, played to a full housefor the District’s annual Senior Holiday Dinner and Concert (pictured at left.) At right, the VHHS Chamber Choir, underthe direction of Jeremy Little, made its second annual visit to the US 99.5 studio in Chicago, where the students per-formed carols on the air during the Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray morning show.

1 1 F i n e A r t s

Last school year, Libertyville HighSchool Dance Teacher Eryn Brown wasnamed The Illinois Association of Health,Physical Education, Recreation, andDance (IAHPERD) Dance Educator ofthe Year for the State of Illinois.Community High School District 128 ispleased to announce that Eryn wasrecently named Midwest Dance Educatorof the Year by the Midwest District of theAmerican Alliance of Health, PhysicalEducation, Recreation and Dance (AAH-PERD). The Midwest district is com-prised of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana,Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. Thewinner from each of the organization’ssix districts goes on to compete for thenational level of the award. Eryn will goon to interview and complete the processfor the National Dance Education of theYear Award at the AAHPERDConvention next March in Boston.

Eryn is in her 8th year of teaching dancein the LHS Physical Welfare department.In addition to her curricular classes, shealso serves as LHS Orchesis Director,and Choreographer for the fall musical.Under her direction, LHS Orchesisreceived the honor of performing in theStudent Showcase of the Illinois HighSchool Dance Festival in 2007, 2008, and2009. Additionally, her musical theaterchoreography has been performed at thestate level during the LHS performancesof Pippin and The Drowsy Chaperone atthe Illinois Theater Festival in 2006 and2011.

Eryn Brown Named Midwest Dance Educator of the Year

Pictured from top to bottom: LHS DanceTeacher Eryn Brown; Brown is recog-nized for her honor at the DecemberBoard of Education. Pictured from leftare Board of Education President PatGroody, Superintendent Dr. PrentissLea, Eryn Brown and LHS Principal Dr.Marina Scott; Brown (in black) joins inthe action with her LHS dance classes.

L H S N e w s 1 2

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season usually adds cele-bration, commitment, and calories to our already busy lives.Libertyville High School is no exception. December finds theLHS WISH Project in full swing as students work with their3rd period classes in raising funds to fulfill wish-list requestsof clothing and toys for approximately 200 needy children.Although cookies and puppy chow remain the perennialfavorites for fundraising efforts, students marketed other cre-ative ideas such as babysitting nights, rummage sales, and pho-tos with a live pig. On Dec. 14, the Interact club hosted theculminating WISH Project event where families enjoyed din-ner and activities as they arrived at LHS to pick up their gifts.

Aside from the seasonal festivities, LHS finds other events tocelebrate as well. We recently learned that eight of our teach-ers received the esteemed distinction of National BoardTeacher Certification. The National Board for ProfessionalTeaching Standards seeks to identify and recognize teacherswho effectively enhance student learning and demonstrate ahigh level of knowledge, skills, abilities and commitment inthe teaching profession. This certification provides the highestacknowledgement of accomplished teaching. The NationalBoard application process is extremely rigorous and providesteachers with an opportunity to grow and be challenged as pro-fessionals. Our congratulations go out to the following teach-ers on this outstanding accomplishment:

David Kahn, ScienceLauren Rust, Social Studies

Andrea Lara, Social StudiesMaggie Casteleyn, ScienceJoyce Kleinheinz, Physical WelfareLaura Guiard, International LanguageKatie Hyla, Family and Consumer SciencesKristin Tarrant, Family and Consumer Sciences

The District 128 Foundation for Learning Board of Trusteesrecently announced the recipients of the 2011-2012 InnovationGrant Awards. Again, our LHS teachers were in the forefrontin proposing creative ideas to enhance and enrich studentlearning at LHS. We congratulate the following LHS teacherswho received 2011-2012 Innovation Grant Awards:Craig Schmidt, Anne Malecki, Mary Kate Polzin, DyanNaslund, Tingting Zhao, Nancy Tassler, Radhika Joshi,Mark Buesing, Mike Cook, Sherri Rukes, CatherineMarcell, Lynda Ward, Matt Thompson, Lauren Rust andAndrea Lara. Read more about these award-winning grantproposals on p. 4 of this issue of Paw Prints.

It will be exciting to see these grants evolve into creative proj-ects that benefit our students. As we move through the busyholiday season, let us find the time to realize the many bless-ings in our environment. On behalf of LHS, may your holidayseason be filled with peace and fulfillment.

Sincerely,Marina Scott

From the Principal’s Desk . . .by Dr. Marina Scott

December Students of the MonthNovember Students of the Month

1 3 L H S N e w s

S t u d e n t A c t i v i t i e s U p d a t eby Jennifer Paul, Student Activities DirectorSenior Class Council - Advisors Kelly Angelos, SandraKruckmanThe Senior Class Council concluded its annual coat drive inNovember. A number of Lake County patrons benefited from thedonations of Libertyville students, staff and community! Coatswere delivered to Holy Family Food Pantry and Most BlessedTrinity--Santisima Trinidad in Waukegan. Thank you donors! Thestudents are diligently fundraising and working towards a springclass gift to LHS.

Student Council Executive Board - Advisors Julie Delaney, SaraRogersThe annual donations for the canned food drive were collected justbefore Thanksgiving and donated to the Libertyville Food Pantry.Students and staff carted boxes and boxes of food that were gener-ously donated by the community. Many thanks to those who donat-ed. Times are very difficult out there right now for many, so LHSappreciates all that the community was able to provide!

Interact - Advisors Jessica Noga, Jennifer PaulThe students of Interact are in a flurry of preparation for the annualWISH dinner that provides a meal and activities for disadvantagedchildren and adults of Lake County. This year, staff and students ofLHS have affected the lives of over 300 people during the holidayseason. Bikes, coats, toys and other gifts flooded the hallways forthe recipients.

Students worked diligently during fundraising and creatively col-lected monies for their projects! An excellent, heartfelt job welldone.

A special thank you to the Sunrise Rotary for their assistance withtransportation of gifts to families and a monetary donation. Weappreciate your support Rotarians. Thank you.

Debate Team - Coaches Craig Schmidt, Amy Wiggins, BrianVoss

Congratulations to the LHS debateteam on their outstanding perform-ance thus far during the 2011-2012season! The debate team is burst-ing at the seams with participation.

At the Schaumburg High Schooldebate tournament on Oct. 22,LHS debaters competed against 74students from 21 Illinois highschools. Participants includedHiba Ahmed, Jojo Amdur, EricBoynton, Brent Cao, FatimaHasan, Osman Jamil, RahulKanianchalil, Christine Kim,Gokul Krishnan, NikhilKrishnan, Heather Legan,Justin Lenz, Tim Li, Kevin Lu,Nick Minor, Joey Nedland,Hannah Oswald, NishadPhadke, Melanie Qing, AnkurRastogi, Pooja Sajeev, Aasimah

Tanveer, Catherine Weddig, Lucia Zhang, and Stevie Zheng.

Lincoln-Douglas Novice DivisionAnkur Rastogi - 2nd Place Brent Cao - Honorable Mention

Public Forum Novice DivisionFatima Hasan and Catherine Weddig - 4th Place/1st Place forSpeaker Points

Public Forum JV DivisionJoey Nedland and Eric Boynton - 1st PlaceJojo Amdur and Stevie Zheng - 3rd Place

Furthermore, at the Fremd High School debate tournament on Nov.5, LHS debaters, pictured above, competed against 187 studentsfrom 16 Illinois high schools in a competitive elimination roundtournament. Participants included Lionello Bardina, DominiqueBruncko, Brent Cao, Maya D'Souza, Osman Jamil, PaulJensen, Nikhil Krishnan, Tim Li, Holly Miller, Nick Minor,Joey Nedland, Ankur Rastogi, Pooja Sajeev, Aasimah Tanveer,Jessica Yin, Alec Zhang and Stevie Zheng.

Lincoln-Douglas Novice DivisionAnkur Rastogi - 1st Place Brent Cao - SemifinalistNikhil Krishnan - Semifinalist

Public Forum Novice DivisionDominique Bruncko and Paul Jensen - Semi-finalist

Public Forum JV DivisionAasimah Tanveer and Stevie Zheng - Semi-finalist

Public Forum Varsity DivisionOsman Jamil and Joey Nedland - 5th Place

Speaker Awards:Alec Zhang - Lincoln-Douglas Novice - 2nd PlaceNikhil Krishnan - Lincoln-Douglas Novice - 3rd PlaceAnkur Rastogi - Lincoln-Douglas Novice - 4th Place Tim Li - Lincoln-Douglas JV - 2nd PlacePooja Sajeev - Public Forum Novice - 3rd PlaceOsman Jamil - Public Forum Varsity - 4th Place Math Team - Coached by Rick Brenner, Jennifer Loika, TamiRende cont. on p. 14

L H S N e w s 1 4

The LHS mathletes participated in the second North SuburbanMathematics League (NSML) contest on Wednesday, Oct. 26 atNaperville Central High School. All five teams in attendance areranked in the top 10 in State. LHS placed third on site and seventhoverall (in State) at the meet.

Tim Li and Stevie Zheng wrote perfect papers at the sophomorelevel on the topic of Probability. The Senior Team came in with animpressive second place finish! Team members included Nina andJovana Andrejevic, Clayton Kullander, Demetri Vlahakis, andAlex Wang. Perfect scores were achieved by Jovana and Alex.The highlight of the meet was a first place finish on site and in Statefor the Junior Team with a perfect score of 75 points! Team mem-bers included Daniel Hartung, Richard Pan, Nishad Phadke,Claire Sheong, and Alex Wang. Furthermore, perfect scores wereachieved on the topic of Probability by Daniel and Richard, andAlex Wang wrote his second perfect paper of the evening.

Sandeep Balasubramanian earned 45 out of a possible 50 pointsin the oral competition on divisibility theory, and he is currentlyranked seventh in the State.

The LHS Math Team has also participated in two IllinoisMathematics League (IML) competitions this year and is rankedfirst in Lake County. The LHS Math Team is currently ranked sev-enth in State out of 54 schools. Math Team meets every Tuesdayafter school and is still open to new members.

WYSE - Coached by Pete DawsonThe LHS WYSE Team sent representatives to the Milwaukeeschool of Engineering on Tuesday, Nov. 22, to compete in theOpportunity Science Competition. The LHS contingent was divid-ed into 2 teams of 8 students, and they competed in a field of 22teams from southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. Eachstudent took an individual test covering topics from general science,biology, chemistry, and physics, and then they worked together on ateam test. Medals were awarded to the top 15 individuals and tro-phies were presented to the top three teams. The LHS teams fin-ished 1st and 2nd overall and our students took home 8 of the 15individual medals.

Members of the 1st place team (pictured above) were: SandeepBalasubramanian, Derick Carnazzola, Osman Jamil, GokulKrishnan, Richard Pan, Nishad Phadke, Alex Wang, andNathan Wolf.

Members of the 2nd place team (pictured above) were: TanmayAdya, Christian Bator, Daniel Hartung, Nathan Honold,Marcele Joseph, Stefan Markovic, Tim Pawlicki, and ElizabethUlanday.

Individual medalists (pictured above) were: Osman Jamil,Sandeep Balasubramanian, Derick Carnazzola, Nathan Wolf,Alex Wang, Nishad Phadke, Richard Pan, and Tim Pawlicki.

Top Cats - Advisors Audrey Glenn, Sue DolanThe Topcats Program members, pictured above, have successfullylaunched another great year of mentoring younger students in theWaukegan School District! For nearly 20 years, the program hasbeen traveling to different elementary schools and working bothone-on-one and, now, in a group setting with kids who can benefitfrom a big brother or sister type of friendship.

Student Activities Update continued from p. 13

cont. on p. 15

1 5 L H S N e w s

This year, we have expanded the program to a second school inWaukegan and now visit once a week for the entire school year atClearview Elementary School and Glen Flora Elementary School.

In the few short weeks that our high school mentors have beenmeeting with their mentees they have already established them-selves as a positive influence and have made Tuesdays a day towhich all of the students look forward. While the purpose of theprogram is to provide the younger students with someone to talk to,a positive role model and a consistent, dependable friend, our LHSstudents are sharpening their leadership skills and having fun whileproviding this much needed support.

SPARK - Advisor Todd SchneiderOn Nov. 10, several junior and senior students from SPARK andACE took time out of their day in order to share strategies formaintaining a drug and alcohol free lifestyle with Ms. Hays' fresh-man health classes. Students from the class participated in an expe-riential activity that transitioned into an open discussion regardingmethods to negotiate their high school career successfully. TheLHS students who helped facilitate the event were: Erin Coburn,Allison Kutches, Luke Mathewson, Maggie Meyer, RashiTaneja and Lauren Vogg.

On Nov. 18, the LHS SAP committee hosted an in-house educa-tional program for staff members. The topic of the presentationwas on adolescent substance use and treatment and was facilitatedby Ryanne Bright and Thomas Miller; substance abuse special-ists from The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center.Participants learned the signs and symptoms of adolescent drug use,current trends and the treatment modalities utilized to address theseissues.

Athletes Committed to Excellence - Advisors Sean Ferrell,Nancy StetterACE, Parent CATS, and Runner's Edge would like to thank ourmany sponsors of this year's Fall Red Ribbon Classic 5K: Arpino& Wollney Orthodontics of Libertyville; Burkett and Beattie,Inc.; Casa Bonita Restaurant of Main Street; Fellowship ofChristian Athlete's at LHS; Fould's Pasta; Friends of WildcatBaseball at LHS; Joel Kennedy Construction; Kimberly ZizicD.D.S. and Robert Salta D.D.S.; Libertyville Bank and Trust;Libertyville Police Department, Liv For a Cure Foundation fora Cure for Cystic Fibrosis; Main Street Smokehouse; PapaJohn's of Libertyville; Parent CATS Association of LHS;Porsche Exchange, Highland Park; Rustoleum CorporationIndustrial Brands; Slammers Baseball and Softball TrainingFacility; Sports 11; The Runner's Edge; Weppler Law Offices;and Wildcat Football Parents Association. A special thank youto Coach Roth and his amazing cross country runner's for provid-ing excellent timing of the race participants. Thank you to DawnShannahan and Sue Dolan for their fantastic work on registra-tions. Also to Mr. Fischl for always stepping up and makingeveryone feel special as they cross the finish line. We are so grate-ful for Sherrie Cote in all the work she did to help us find spon-sors.

We want to give a special thank you to all of the students fromACE, SPARK, and the National Honor Society for participating asfield marshals on the race course. The race wouldn't happen with-out our student volunteers.

Student Activities continued from p. 14This year ACE was proud to support Sean Ferrell, co-sponsor ofACE, as he ran the marathon for the American Cancer Society. Anumber of ACE members went to cheer on Mr. Ferrell and otherstaff members.

Monday, Dec. 5 marked the pledge night for ACE members! Aspecial thank you to Randy Kuceyeski for his inspirational mes-sage that evening and for his work years ago as the individual whobegan this club from the ground up! Thank you, parents, for yourongoing support of these young athletes who take a pledge to bedrug and alcohol free.

French Club - Advisor Laura GuiardThe French Club is off to a chic start this year. The students experi-enced a delicious French dinner at the Café Pyrénées restaurant inSeptember. For Homecoming, club members decorated the schoolhallway and the How Impressive! store window with beret-wearingdancers dancing through the decades under the Eiffel Tower. InNovember the students watched “Roxanne,” an American remakeof the Cyrano de Bergerac story. Future events will include cookingat school, movies in French, possible museum excursions andanother trip to a French restaurant.

CAT- TV - Advisor Iwona AwlasewiczCat-TV has officially finished the football season broadcasts. Thegame against Lake Forest was crewed by freshmen and managed bya production management crew of older cats: Bridget Roche onReplay and Graphics, and Tyler Crusey and Mason Stouffer oncameras one and two. All crew was headed by Brian Georgesonwho acted as the on-site producer.

At right, Freshman DillanRonne on camera has alsoproduced a music video forLHS's own KevinJungmann. It was conceivedand directed by DuncanMillar and is available onCat-TV's YouTube page.

Below, Duncan Millarannounced a sophomore foot-ball game.

Stay tuned for more CAT-TVnews!

V H H S N e w s 1 6

News from the HillsPrincipal’s Reportby Dr. Ellen CwickSpecial congratulations to Deb Beagle onbeing selected Activity Director of the Yearby the Illinois Director of Student Activities(IDSA). Deb was honored at the IDSA StateConference in November. Our student activi-ties program is solidly one of the top pro-grams in the state under Deb's leadership.Josh Ravenscraft was also nominated for theAdvisor of the Year Award at the IDSAConference for his strong work as our highlysuccessful WYSE Advisor here at VHHS.Deb and Josh's awards are further highlightedon p. 19 of this issue.

I continue to be amazed by the generosity andsupport shown by our students and stafftowards projects to help people in need. Ourongoing First Class COVE project, Relay forLife, Cougars Caring 4 Cougars, urban schoolsupply drive, and the SmileTrain campaign are just afew of the programs withwhich I have seen VHHSbecome passionatelyinvolved. It is so gratifyingto see our students step upto the plate when they seesomeone having a toughtime or who may be lessfortunate.

A new project this schoolyear has been our partner-ship with Wauconda-basedBookfriends International toship 10 pallets of books andtextbooks to 14 schools inthe Kapeeka, Uganda area.VHHS currently sponsorsan elementary school inKapeeka, but we are alsothrilled to reach out to other schools in the area that desper-ately need books. This shipment of around 29,000 books willcost Bookfriends over $10,000 and will take three months toreach Africa. National Honor Society students helped packedseven pallets of books at VHHS over the summer. Manyschools and libraries in the area donated books for this wor-thy cause. We can't wait to see the precious pictures of smil-ing faces and books in the hands of children.

This spirit is also carried on into the holiday season with ouryearly Adopt-A-Family event. Our First Class program host-ed this event again this year on Dec. 15 and, as always, it

was a very specialevening. Parentsand students serv-ing food, studentsplaying and laugh-ing with pre-school-ers, the InteractCoat Drive, StudentBook Club BookDrive, and ourchoir singing holi-day songs make upthe magic of thisevent. Over 60 fam-ilies received giftsfor the holiday sea-son purchased byour third hour class-es and CougarsCaring for Cougarscommittee.

Fall 2011 proved to be an exciting time for VHHS. Our com-munity and school were treated to the fabulous fall musical,“The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” during the last weekend inOctober and first weekend in November. The cast and crewrose to the highest level, tackling this very challenging pro-duction. Congratulations to our Fine Arts staff- DirectorKevin Phelan, Choreographer Erin Jaffe, Choral DirectorJeremy Little, Orchestra Director Frank Lestina, andTechnical Director Bo Warmbold on a terrific musical!

1 7 V H H S N e w s

S t u d e n t A c t i v i t i e s U p d a t eby Deb Beagle, VHHS Student Activities Director

Anime ClubWe celebrated Halloween in grand style, with 20 membersparticipating in cosplay, or costume and character play.Freshman Sara Power's portrayal of the anime characterHatsune Miku was the club favorite. We are selling club t-shirts featuring the artistic talents of sophomore KatieMcLoughlin; $10 for a black t-shirt. The after-schoolmunchies had no chance on Ramen Day, when we slurpedthose iconic noodles while watching Blue Exorcist. All stu-dents who enjoy the Japanese culture, language and anima-tion arts are welcome.(Advisor: Monica Tolva)

Bibliophiles Book ClubNews: The Bibliophiles are off to another busy year. Bookdiscussions have included Going Bovine, The Maze Runner,and The Looking Glass Wars. Members have enjoyed readingthese Abraham Lincoln award-winning books; some havetaken advantage of the LMC's collection of Nooks to do so.The club is also busy preparing for the annual book drive inpreparation for the Adopt-A-Family party this December.Books will be available to families at the party in the hopesof brightening their holiday seasons with reading!(Advisors: Ellen Macias, Sonya Stevens, Monica Tolva)

DECA Business ClubDECA, an international high school student business andmarketing organization, promotes leadership, teamwork,responsibility and provides tremendous opportunities for stu-dent participation while encouraging a competitive spirit. AllVHHS DECA members will be competing in the NorthernSuburban Area Conference on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Memberswill be competing in eight different types of role play eventsin preparation for their competitive events at the State CareerDevelopment Conference in March.

This year's VHHS DECA officers include Co-Presidents ErinBolanowski and Lauren Groody, and Vice President GabeCotton. (Advisors: Beth Richards, Alicia Abood)

FBLA- Future Business Leaders of America

On Nov. 11, 18 VHHS FBLA members, pictured above, trav-eled to Milwaukee for the two-day annual National Fall

Leadership Conference. While attending this conference, thestudents had the opportunity to build their leadership skills,listen to many different speakers, and meet people from allover the country. It gave the members an idea of what anational conference is like, without the pressure of compet-ing. The NFLC set the stage for the beginning of anothergreat year of FBLA! (Advisors: Sean Crevier, AmandaCarroll)

First ClassThe entire school is engaged in the First Class service learn-ing project called Adopt-A-Family. Partnering with theLibertyville-area social service agency Maristella, the third-period classes commit to purchasing holiday presents forneedy children from Lake County families. In addition to theholiday presents, we host the families to a fun evening ofentertainment, games and dinner; the dinner for 300 is pro-vided by Cougar Parent Connection and VHHS parent dona-tions. This community-wide effort is a highlight of the yearfor First Class, a character education program. (MonicaTolva, Adopt-A-Family coordinator)

Interact

Halloween Fest, pictured above, took place on Oct. 27 at"The Park" (assisted/independent living facility). Those of allages were in costumes dancing and enjoying each other'scompany. The annual doggy bake sale to raise funds for ourcanines for companions took place on Friday, Dec. 9.Students also took part in holiday gift wrapping at Barnesand Noble stores at Hawthorn and Lincolnshire Commonsfor CCI. Beginning in December, Interact will work withThe Sports Shed to organize and assist with sports equip-ment for children in need. Interact also headed up the annualAdopt-a-Family coat drive to donate coats to local area fami-lies. (Advisors: Sean Kelly, Kelley Whitescarver, NancySkeffington)

cont. on p. 18

V H H S N e w s 1 8

Student Activities Update continued from p. 17

Junior Class Student CouncilThe Junior class is busy preparing for our Turnabout Dancewhich is going to be held on Feb. 25, 2012. This year's themeis Superheroes. In previous years, proceeds raised fromTurnabout sales have been donated to one charity; however,this year we will be having each class choose a charity.During spirit week, classes will have a fundraising competi-tion and four different charities will benefit! Good luck toeach class. (Advisors: Sheila Russell, Megan Hendrickx)

Junior Stateof AmericaJunior Stateof Americanwent toMadison,WI, Nov. 19-20 to partici-pate in theMidwestregional FallState confer-ence.Meeting inthe statecapitol anddebating inthe rooms

used by state senators and representatives, the students wereable to flex their powers of persuasive speaking to win multi-ple debates. Top honors were awarded to club president,Junior Steven Tinetti, who earned a best speaker award atthe conference.

Our next trip will be to Washington, D.C. in February wherewe are hoping to organize a White House tour, and partici-pate in a model Congress with students from across the coun-try. Junior State is an open enrollment club, in that any stu-dent can choose to join at any point in the year! Come tomeetings and join the fun! (Advisor: Eileen Orzoff-Baranyk)

Math TeamCongratulations to Math Team for taking second place at ourrecent meet against Maine East, Barrington, Downers GroveNorth and Wheeling high schools. Justin Yim, ChristineTsai, Prathyusha Namburi, Helen Deng and KatherineKoczwara all had perfect papers. The sophomore and seniorteams took first place and the freshman team took secondplace. Freshman Justin Yim, competing as a senior, is in athree-way tie for first place among all 55 schools in the NorthSuburban Math League after our first two meets. Go MathTeam! (Coaches: Cheryl Ballenger, Jessica Chapman,Steve Korney)

Operation ClickCongratulations to the November Operation Click Students ofthe Month: Noelle Melton and Nicholas Escanilla, as well asAngela Preston and Tyler Alper, the Operation ClickStudent of the Month parking spot recipients for December.

They were randomly selected from the list of students thatsigned up for Operation Click. Operation Click's mission is to reward students for modelingsafe driving habits and doing well in school. AAA is a proudsponsor of Operation Click. Students and parents can findsome great resources at www.TeenDriving.AAA.com. Thesite has sample driving test questions for licensing exams,information on Illinois laws that affect teen drivers, videos ofexperts and teens talking about driving as well as considera-tions for choosing the right car. (Officer Cielak)

Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD)Operation Teen Safe Driving’s mission is to save lives byempowering students within their school to educate theirpeers on how to stay safe. This year's student committee of14 juniors and four seniors are meeting to plan a variety ofways to get the message out to their peers. OTSD is spon-sored by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Allstateand Ford Motor Company. (Officer Cielak)

RoboticsOn Nov. 8, the VHHS Robotics teams dominated theRobotics tournament at Abbott Laboratories. First placechampions in the Incline Climbing Contest were Angela Lee,Emily Meng, Michelle Liu and Hannah Chung. Our VHHSteam taking second place included Alex Revinski, AJMawley and Catherine Boulos. Great job Cougars.(Advisor: Jay Walgren)

Senior Class Student CouncilSenior Class student council has been busy planning for grad-uation and other upcoming events. The next big event is Feb.2, when the Senior Class partners with Life Source by host-ing a blood drive. More details of how you can help with thisgreat cause will be coming out soon. The seniors are enjoyingperforming service projects together, like Adopt-a-Family andthe Blood Drive to help out the community. (Advisor:Rebecca Austin, Amy O'Neill)

Sophomore Student CouncilFollowing a busy and fun Homecoming season, sophomoreStudent Council has been preparing to meet with studentsfrom Chicago's Roosevelt High School in order to donate theschool supplies from our school supply drive. We look for-ward to getting the two schools' student councils together.(Advisor: Amy Christian)

SPARK (Supporting Peers and Reaching Kids)Spark commemorated the American Cancer Society's 36thAnnual Great American Smokeout on Nov. 17. Students weregiven a chance to pledge to quit smoking or to stay tobaccofree. Students viewed a display from the Lake County HealthDepartment on the effects of smoking. Pledges were sent tothe American Cancer Society. (Advisors: Margaret Pither,Laura Tracy)

Student Council - Variety ShowThe VHHS winter tradition continued on Dec. 1 as theStudent Council presented the 6th Annual Staff and Student

cont. on p. 19

1 9 V H H S N e w s

Student Activities Update continued from p. 18

Variety Showwith tremen-dous supportfrom VHHSStudentProductions.The perform-ance show-cased a varietyof outstandingtalents. Thegoal of theshow is forstudents andstaff to cometogether asone, have funperforming,and mostimportantlygive back toour school inthe process.This yearstheme wasonce again'Bringing ItBack Home'for that pur-pose.

Thanks to allof the wonder-ful spectatorsthat showedtheir support

by buying a ticket and attending the show, because the pro-ceeds from the show were donated to Cougars 4 Cougars andthe Max Schewitz Foundation. Cougars 4 Cougars is ourvery own group designed to support fellow Cougars in need.Max Schewtiz Foundation supports education, prevention,and research of sudden cardiac death in young people. Thisfabulous show could not have taken place without the StudentCouncil Executive Board (Krishna Mundada, BineetaMonga, Katherine Turner, Hannah Kahn, Shivon Shah,Alison Salazar and Grace Lee), Leslie Nardini, RobinLevin, Kevin Phelan, VHHS Student Productions and theStudent and Staff performances, including: Mr Sundell, MrTribley and the Jazz Band; Brittany Ackerman; Mr.Korney and Duncan Kessler; Mr. May and the JazzStrings; Olivia Weaver and Mona Sturino; Mrs. King, Mr.Lestina and the Orchestral accompaniment; Joey Marsek;Mrs. King, Kate Lee and Jennifer Cheng; Mrs. Abood's3rd period class; Olivia Candocia, Bobby Knier, MiaCandocia, Joy Ro, Lindsey Dantes, Chelsea deLara andBecca Silbar; Grace Ferolo, Stephen Steinheiser, AnnieRumzis, Doug Millar, Jennifer Cheng, and Dominic Pierri;Mr. Pardun, Mrs. Geltner, Kate Lee, Lindsey Dantes, LisaChertok and Joey Marsek; Brandon Cohen and Amber

Egan; Jordan Horwitz; and, closing the show, Mr.Greenawalt and Parish Ashford. This spectacular showbrought in over 450 spectators.

VH20 (Environmental Club)News: VH20 is making exciting progress this year. It set outwith a goal to affect change in our school and has madestrides toward that goal by researching grants for environ-mental projects. Students are currently in the process ofapplying for various grants that might allow for projects suchas using hand driers instead of paper towels, utilizing recy-cling on more of the school grounds, or switching to double-sided printing in the school's resource areas. Stay tuned forexciting changes happening in our very own school commu-nity. Also, look for VH20's annual lip balm sale in the foyerDec. 19-21 during lunch periods. This all natural, student-made lip balm will sell for $2 a tube; all proceeds help fundimportant environmental projects. Lib balm makes a greatgift for the holidays!(Sponsors: Karen Day, Ellen Macias, Sarah Stoub)

VIP (Voices in Prevention)Thirty VIP students presented prevention skits for all 5thgrade students at Elementary South School on Nov. 18.Students performed skits on bullying and cyber bullying,exclusion, rumors and accepting differences in others. VIPstudents facilitated small group discussions with the studentsafter the skits and shared their own stories. VIP students willperform at all the other elementary schools this year.(Advisors: Margaret Pither, Doug Dusthimer)

Illinois Director of Student Activities AwardsCongratulations to Josh Ravenscraft for being recognized asa nominee for the Illinois Directors of Student Activities(IDSA) Advisor of the Year award. The Advisor of the YearAward recognizes individuals who through their time andeffort have made an impact on their activity and who exem-plify the ideal advisor.

Congratulations to Debbie Beagle for winning the ActivityDirector of the Year Award. The Activity Director of the Yearaward recognizes activity directors who have made exempla-ry and consistent contributions to the development and imple-mentation of their high school's student activity programs.This recognition is designed both to honor outstanding mem-bers in the Student Activities domain and to promote aware-ness of the quality of student activity clubs, programs, andevents being provided in Illinois high schools.

The IDSA is a committee that involves student activity direc-tors from all over the state. The members put great efforttowards searching for amazing, dynamic, creative leaders tobe saluted and recognized at the 2011 Annual AwardsBanquet and Convention. To be recognized and supported byyour students and peers is the ultimate compliment in the pro-fession of education. Your contributions have proven that youare a skillful and dedicated individual that plays an activerole in promoting the culture and climate of our school com-munity. cont. on p. 20

V H H S N e w s 2 0

Student Activities continued from p. 19

December Cougar Class Act Award Winners

Ravenscraft and Beagle are pictured above at the awards cer-emony with VHHS Principal Dr. Ellen Cwick (at left).(photo by Visual Image Photography)

ATTENTION 8th Graders!

The VHHS 8th Grade Orientation

will be held

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2011

at 6:30 p.m.

See you there!

2 1 F i n a l E x a m S c h e d u l e

Final Exam ScheduleJanuary 2012

Libertyville High School

Vernon Hills High School

L H S A t h l e t i c s 2 2

Athletic Director’s Cornerby Briant Kelly, LHS Athletic Director

Football Coach - Randy KuceyeskiLibertyville High SchoolHead Football CoachRandy Kuceyeski will beretiring from teaching andcoaching at the conclusionof this school year. Coach"Kuz" has been teachingand coaching at LHS since1978. This year wasRandy's 18th season as theFootball Head Coach atLHS, where he compiled arecord of 133-58.

After playing football atAlliance High School inAlliance, Ohio, he went onto letter three years atNorthwestern University,

where he also received his Masters Degree in Education in1977. In January of 1998, Randy was inducted to theAlliance High School Athletic Hall of Fame. CoachKuceyeski's 2003 football team finished 2nd place in theState of Illinois. He also was selected that year to be headcoach for the East Squad in the East-West Shrine Gamewhich included high school all-stars from the State of Illinois.The following year, 2004, Coach Kuz's Wildcats won the 7Astate title giving Libertyville its first football state champi-onship. In the summer of 2009, Randy was presented theinaugural Randy Walker "Doing Great" award by theAmerican Football Coaches Foundation and the WalkerFamily. He was also chosen in 2009 by the National FootballLeague to represent the state of Illinois at the National YouthSummit in Canton, Ohio.

This past year, Randy coached while battling through cancer,which wouldn't have been possible without the support of hiscoaches and players. Randy and his wife, Martha, have fourchildren: Erin, Britt, Kristen and John, and six grandchil-dren: Patrick, Emma, Kelsey, Evan, Ellis, and Meghan. Iknow that everyone here has special memories of Coach Kuzand he will be missed by his LHS family. Congratulations ona great career and enjoy retirement.

Fall Athletic Team AccomplishmentsBoys’ SoccerIHSA Regional Champions

Girls’ Cross-CountryNSC Lake Division Champions

Boys’ Cross-CountryIHSA Regional Champions

Individual Fall Athlete AccomplishmentsNSC All-Academic AthletesCheerleadingJulianna Cervino, Samantha Chon-Briggs, MelissaCollins, Haley Majewski, Rebecca Mueller, Nicole Pink

Boys’ Cross CountryNicholas Ackerman, Christian Bako, Ryan Bennett, EvanBujak, Kevin Burke, Austin Deardorff, Kevin Heller,Easton Huch, Sean Linden, Andrew Loiacono, ConnorMason, Charles Meyer, John Pistella, RobertScheuneman, Wesley Siu, Forrest Wagner, NicholasZarling

Girls’ Cross CountryNatalie Danckers, Demetra Frangos, Stephanie HanaganNicole Jaffke, Meaghan Polk, Abigail TooheySuzanne Vachula, Alexandra Zafiratos

FootballMichael Arendt, Kevin Bruns, Nicholas Carlino, ClayCusek, Paul de Luca, Louis Diamond, Matsen Dziedzic,Alexander Gough, Eric Harper, Drew Krinitsky,Luke Mathewson, Connor O'Donnell, Michael Parker,Charles Payant, Bradley Rafferty, Logan Reiff,Diego Rojas-Toledo, Joseph Salata, James Stoll, BrianSwift, Anthony Valente, Patrick Wlodarski, AnthonyZotto

Boys’ GolfJohn Cordan, Mike Mudd, Alex Quenan, Andrew Ross

Girls’ GolfIsabela Alesna, Lauren Dohse, Camilla Ou, Emilie Teitz,Paige Webb

PomsElise Eidson, Nicole Krumm, Sara Pritchard

Boys’ SoccerAustin Bitta, Keenan Busse, Joe Grozier, Sam Kaplan,Craig Kym, Zach Labrum, Connor McNeir, TomideOwolabi

Girls’ Swimming & DivingLeanna Blair, Morgan Dickson, Melanie EichhornLindsey Gilbert, Victoria Metcalf, Lindsay Schweitzer

Girls’ TennisEmily Daluga, Claire Eichmann, Arantxa Garcia-Escobar, Nicole Klein, Mary Kate Lee

Girls’ VolleyballEileen Knauff, Nicole Kruckman, Dana Kym, MollyMoon, Kerry Risley, Kayla Silverman, Julia Smagacz,Kaitlyn Waehner, Kristen Webb, Taylor Zant, CindyZhou cont. on p. 23

2 3 L H S A t h l e t i c s

NSC Honorable Mention AthletesFootballBrandon Stanfel, Max Ebert

Boys’ SoccerKeenan Busse

Girls’ VolleyballJulia Smagacz, Taylor Zant

NSC All-Conference AthletesFootballJack Crandell, Drew KrinitskyJoey Salata, Luke Mathewson, Michael Parker

Boys’ SoccerAustin Bitta, Lloyd Chatfield, Marshall HollingsworthSam Kaplan, Joey Ruppert

Girls’ VolleyballKristen Webb, Cindy Zhou, Kerry Risley

NSC Conference Medal WinnersBoys’ Cross CountryDan Ryan, Nick Korhumel, Easton Huch, Cam Taylor

Girls’ Cross CountryKristi Del Prato, Nicole Jaffke, Abigail TooheyMaggie Fiorito, Lexie Zafiratos, Emily Moroz

Boys’ GolfJohn Cordan, Mike Mudd

Girls’ GolfCamilla Ou, Darinka Sutic

Girls’ Swimming & DivingJulia Elsmo, Morgan Dickson, Sophia Lex, JessicaDomagala, Katelyn Liss

Girls’ TennisAbbie Anderson, Emily Daluga, Claire EichmannArantxa Garcia-Escobar, Nicole Klein, M.K. LeeSarah Paulson, Halle Roach

IHSA State QualifiersGirls’ Cross-CountryKristi Del Prato

Girls’ Swimming & DivingSophia Lex, Julia Elsmo, Lindsey Gilbert, MorganDickson (6th place - 200 and 500 freestyle)

All-State AthletesBoys’ SoccerSam Kaplan, Marshall Hollingsworth

Girls’ VolleyballCindy Zhou

Athletic Director’s Corner cont. from p. 22

Wildcat Athletes Sign Letters of Intent With Villanova and Minot State

Libertyville High School Senior Nicolas Coutre signed a let-ter of intent to play baseball at Villanova University. Nic,seated, was joined at his signing by his father, Mark, hisbrother, Mike, LHS Baseball Coach Jim Schurr, and hismother, Peggy. (photo courtesy of LHS Athletics.)

Libertyville High School senior Alexandra Haley signed aletter of intent to play basketball at Minot State University.Alex, seated, was joined at her signing by LHS HeadBasketball Coach Kathie Swanson and Assistant CoachMelissa Gorski. (photo courtesy of LHS Athletics.)

V H H S A t h l e t i c s 2 4

The Cougars had a terrific fall season with some pretty impressiveindividual accomplishments. First and foremost, we have 68 jun-ior and senior student athletes who earned a spot on the NSC All-Academic Team by earning a 3.5 G.P.A. (on a 4.0 weighted orunweighted scale) while also earning a varsity letter in their respec-tive sports. These student athletes are listed below:

Boys’ Cross Country: Oleg Babin, Daniel Bai, DanielGalinovskiy, Samuel Kasten, Kyle Small

Football: Timothy Claussen, Martin Crowley, Tyler Flis, IanHough, Samuel Maloof, Dylan McNamara, Jay Miller, StevenNelson, Brett Peterson, Tyler Peterson, David Pierce, DrakeRandall, Nicholas Saliba, Jeremy Sullivan

Boys’ Golf: Connor Dickman, Russell Hutson, AlexanderLeigeber, Patrick Quinn, Eric Swanson, Jeremy Szwaya

Girls’ Golf: Lauren Groody, Ji Hyun Park

Girls’ Swim and Dive: Dana Andrea, Kathleen Lao, Grace Lee,Sarah Lopez, Kaitlan Manning, Stacy Rowland, JessicaTomback

Cheerleading: Natalie Chiarello

Girls’ Cross Country: Rachel Kucharz, Abigail Letts, AlissaMiller, Tara Rooney, Kristen Whitney

Boys’ Soccer: Evan Borden, David Goldberg, Eric Lang,Nathan Lightman, Bradley McGee, Matthew Tabrizi, PaulWoo

Girls’Tennis: Sanchita Agrawal, Tanaya Bhardwaj, AmyDolan, Lauren Lee, Angela Lee, Priyanka Mangtani, AmySebastian, Melanie Solheim

Girls’Volleyball: Jennifer Claussen, Christine Currie, SarahLehman, Rachel Lira, Kayla Marvin, Megan Meline, ShannonNugent, Alison Peacock, Julie Pecht, Jasmine Tamalunas

Pom Pons: Elizabeth Chapman, Marli Levin, MichelleNussbaum

We also had numerous student athletes recognized for significantaccomplishments in their respective sports as follows:

Boys’ Cross CountryBen Mohrdieck All-NSC - 22nd Place MedalistKyle Whitney All-NSC - 14th Place Medalist

Girls’ Cross CountryDanielle Fiarito All-NSC - 12th Place Medalist,

IHSA Regional - 4th Place MedalistMelanie Rogers All-NSC - 21st Place MedalistAli Marks All-NSC - 24th Place Medalist

FootballJeremy Brazil All-NSC Selection

Wayne Didier All-NSC Selection, Daily Herald All-Area Selection, Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 5AAll-State Selection

Drake Randall All-NSC Selection, Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Academic All-State Selection

Dustin Rusch All-NSC SelectionJarrett Wood All-NSC SelectionMJ Crowley All-NSC Honorable MentionGrady Skeoch All-NSC Honorable Mention

Girls’ GolfLauren Groody All-NSC - 11th Place Medalist,

IHSA Sectional Qualifier

Boys’ GolfChris Edwards All-NSC - 13th Place Medalist,

IHSA Regional ChampionEric Swanson All-NSC Champion,

IHSA Regional- 4th Place MedalistJake Zoll All-NSC - 15th Place Medalist,

IHSA Regional- 2nd Place Medalist,IHSA Sectional- 3rd Place Medalist

Pom PonsElizabeth Chapman UDAAll-StarKristen Kamman UDAAll-StarMarli Levin UDAAll-StarMichelle Nussbaum UDAAll-StarLiz Slovik UDAAll-Star

Girls’VolleyballJenn Claussen All-NSC Selection,

Daily Herald All-Area SelectionMegan Meline All-NSC Selection,

Daily Herald All-Area SelectionShannon Nugent All-NSC Selection,

Daily Herald All-Area SelectionRachel Lira All-NSC Honorable Mention

Boys’ SoccerEvan Borden All-NSC Selection, Daily Herald

All-Area Selection, All-Sectional Honorable Mention Selection

Jeremy Cohen All-NSC Selection, Daily HeraldAll-Area Honorable Mention

James Lee All-NSC Honorable Mention, Daily Herald All-Area Honorable Mention

Matt Tabrizi All-NSC Honorable Mention

Girls’ Swimming & DivingDana Andrea NSC: 5th-Place Medalist- 50 Yard

Freestyle; 5th-Place Medalist- 200 FreeRelay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Free Relay; 5th-Place Medalist- 200 MedleyRelayAll-Sectional: 4th-Place Medalist- 50 Yard Freestyle; 4th-Place Medalist-

From the Cougar Denby Brian McDonald, Athletic Director

cont. on p. 25

2 5 V H H S A t h l e t i c s

200 Freestyle Relay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Freestyle Relay; 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay

Lisa Cheng NSC: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Free Relay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Free Relay All-Sectional: 4th-Place Medalist- 200 Freestyle Relay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Freestyle Relay

Zoe Eldridge NSC: 2nd-Place Medalist- 100 Yard Freestyle; 4th-Place Medalist- 200 YardFreestyle; 5th-Place Medalist- 200 FreeRelay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Free RelayAll-Sectional: 3rd-Place Medalist- 200 Yard Freestyle; 2nd-Place Medalist- 100 Yard Freestyle; 4th-Place Medalist-200 Freestyle Relay; 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Freestyle Relay; IHSAState Qualifier - 100 Yard Freestyle & 200 Yard Freestyle

Summer Hemesath NSC: 4th-Place Medalist- 400 Free Relay; All Sectional: 4th-Place Medalist- 200 Freestyle Relay; 4th Place Medalist- 400 Freestyle Relay

Sarah Lopez NSC: 3rd Place Medalist- DivingAll-Sectional: 3rd Place Medalist- Diving; IHSA State Qualifier - Diving

Yuliya Pomeranets NSC: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay; All-Sectional: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay

Kristin Schrems NSC: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Free Relay; 5th-Place Medalist- 200 MedleyRelayAll-Sectional: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay

Alice Zhang NSC: 5th-Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay; All-Sectional: 5th Place Medalist- 200 Medley Relay

Girls’TennisRachel Jacoby All-NSC - 3rd-Place Medalist-

2nd DoublesMonica Lozovaty All-NSC - 3rd Place Medalist-

2nd Doubles

NSC Sportsmanship TeamThe North Suburban Conference has named an NSCSportsmanship Team for each program that competes in the NSC.The athletes selected to this team show great pride in representingtheir school and community. They demonstrate respect for theiropponents, teammates, coaches and officials and consistently com-pete with at “team first” attitude. They are, without fail and withoutprompting, unselfish, team-first Cougar athletes. The representa-tive from each team is listed below:

Boys’ Cross Country - Kyle SchremsGirls’ Cross Country - Courtney UmphressFootball - MJ CrowleyBoys’ Golf - Alex LeigeberGirls’ Golf - Lauren GroodyBoys’ Soccer - Eric LangGirls’ Swim & Dive - Lisa ChengGirls’Tennis - Amy SebastianGirls’Volleyball - Jennifer Claussen

The Cougars also had some pretty impressive team accomplish-ments. Our Girls' Tennis and Girls' Volleyball team each won thePrairie Division this fall. Girls' Volleyball and Boys' Golf teamsalso won their respective IHSA Regional Championship. Also, ourBoys' Golf team advanced to the IHSA State Finals for the firsttime in school history where they ultimately finished 10th in theState. The Cougars had a terrific Fall season.

The winter season is off to a great start. Our winter participationnumbers continue to be strong as most of our athletic programsgrow in size. We have some teams that are doing very well andwe hope you and your family get a chance to see them competethis season. Check the VHHS website for the most current sched-ules.

Marras Signs with Butler University

This Fall, Senior Chris Marras signed a national letter of intent toplay Baseball at Butler University. Chris plans to study ActuarialScience at Butler in addition to playing catcher for the Bulldogs.Chris is pictured above at his signing with his family and coaches.Chris is excited to play for Coach Farley at the next level. His par-ents, Mike and Ann are "just thrilled for Chris." They noted thatButler is a great school and they are excited for him. His dad put abaseball glove in his crib when he was born and the rest, they say,is history. Coach Czarnecki is excited for Chris to start his seniorseason for the Cougars and will always remember the three-runhomerun Chris hit in the 7th inning in the regional championshipagainst Grayslake Central to tie up the game - a game they eventu-ally won. Coach Marshall Erickson will always remember Chris'excellent speaking abilities at the end of season awards night.

Athletics cont. from p. 24

cont. on p. 26

V H H S A t h l e t i c s 2 6

Chris' favorite memory from high school baseball was during hisfreshman year he came into the dugout and was so excited he washigh fiving and slapping teammates on their hindquarters (commonpractice in baseball) and he did so to Coach Czarnecki, thinkingCoach Czarnecki was one of his teammates. He never did thatagain. Best of luck to Senior Chris Marras at Butler University.

Eldridge Signs with University of the Pacific

Also this fall, senior Zoe Eldridge signed a national letter of intentto continue her swimming career at the University of the Pacific inCalifornia. She is pictured above with her family and coaches. Zoeplans to study Business and hopes to become a retail buyer in theSan Francisco or Los Angeles area after she graduates. Zoe is excit-ed about swimming in an outdoor pool year round at the Universityof the Pacific. The team at Pacific is a very tight, close knit group,just like her VHHS team and her CATS club. Zoe says the recruit-ing was nerve-racking, but once she narrowed down what she waslooking for in a school, it became a lot easier. Her mom and dadare very proud of her and the fact that she handled all the recruitingresponsibilities. They were ecstatic and relieved when she choseUniversity of the Pacific because it is a great school.

Coach Greenawalt has enjoyed coaching Zoe and will always get achuckle when he thinks of Zoe's pre-practice ritual. Some peoplestretch or listen to music. Zoe, however, being true to her light-hearted, fun-loving nature, gets a hula hoop going before practiceand even has gotten her teammates to join her. Best of luck to Zoe(and her hula hoop) at the University of the Pacific.

2011 Night of ChampionsOn Friday Dec. 16, VHHS hosted its annual Night of Champions.Each year we look forward to welcoming back our alums (andtheir teammates that have not yet graduated) to recognize them fortheir championship season from the 2010-11 school year. We hon-ored the following Varsity teams from 2010-11:

FootballBoys' Golf

Girls' VolleyballGirls' Tennis

Boys' BasketballBoys' BowlingCheerleading

Pom PonsBaseball

Girls' SoccerSoftball

Girls' Track and FieldBoys' Tennis

Boys' Volleyball

Additionally, a number of our 2010 graduates were added to theVernon Hills High School Athletic Wall of Fame. The class of 2010includes:

DaVaris Daniels - Football and BasketballKelley Gallagher - Track and FieldMichael Glover - LacrosseJustin Opitz - VolleyballEvan Spencer - FootballGideon Yim - Wrestling

We hope you can join us for a terrific evening recognizing ourchampions from 2010-11. On behalf of the VHHS AthleticDepartment, we hope everyone has a terrific holiday season.

Athletics cont. from p. 25

2 7 I n O t h e r N e w s

Community High School District 12850 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 101Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061

Front Cover: Students and staff from Libertyville High School, Vernon Hills High School, and the District 128 AdministrativeOffices helped make the holidays brighter for those in need through the W.I.S.H. and Adopt-A-Family programs. Students arepictured on the cover organizing the gifts and performing for guests at these programs. (photos courtesy of LHS) Also pic-tured on the front page are members of the VHHS choirs and orchestra as they performed their annual holiday concerts.(photos by K. Phelan)

Non-profit organizationU.S. Postage Paid

Libertyville, IL 60048Permit No. 84

Compton Named Maggiano’s Hero cont. from p. 3

the athletes he coaches in District 128 have benefitedtremendously from Special Olympics training and competi-tion.

Andy has been involved with Special Olympics for eightyears. He has worked hard to grow his program and encour-ages his athletes to compete to the best of their abilities.Under Andy’s coaching, the District 128 athletes compete insnowshoeing, basketball, bocce, track and field, bowling andfloor hockey.

Andy took his coaching to the next level by attendingtrainings which earned him a coaching spot on Team USA insnowshoeing for the 2009 Special Olympics World WinterGames in Boise, Idaho.

Andy went more than the “extra mile” when he advocatedfor hosting a Special Olympics District Basketball competi-tion at Vernon Hills High School.

Special Olympics thanked Compton for providing suchgreat leadership to his team and for recognizing the learningexperiences athletes carry into school, jobs, home and com-munity. Compton was surprised and honored by receivingthe award.

Vernon Hills High School Principal Dr. Ellen Cwick, IllinoisSpecial Olympics Athlete Representative Steven Katz, andLHS/VHHS Special Olympics Coach Andy Compton gatherfor a photo following Compton's receipt of a 2011Maggiano's Hero Award.