May/June 2015 Edition

SAINTS’ HAPPENINGS
PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
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ST. CHARLES EAST
HIGH SCHOOL
MAY/JUNE 2015
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OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL
I had the opportunity to end the 2014-2015 school year by traveling to Orlando with 200
members of our band and orchestra students. Orchestra performed in Downtown Disney on Friday,
June 5th at 1:30p.m. This was the last official Orchestra Concert for Ben Oswalt who retired after 32
years of service to D303. The band performed at an afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom on Saturday,
June 6. I would like to thank Mr. Gill, Mr. Kull, Mrs. Kull, Mr. Oswalt and all of the parent chaperones
who helped plan, attended and supervised the trip to Orlando. When you have approximately 200 high
school students, it takes more than the teachers to make the trip a success. I added pictures of the band
and orchestra to the cover of the Principal’s Newsletter.
The Class of 2015 ended their high school experience at graduation on Sunday, May 24 at the
Sears Center in Hoffman Estates. There were 620 graduates that are already on the road to college and
career success. I wanted to add some pictures from the ceremony because it was a special graduation. I
had the opportunity to start St. Charles East four years ago coming from the middle school just like the
Class of 2015. They are a special class that will be successful in the next chapter of their lives.
Looking ahead, registration packets have been mailed home and should be returned to St.
Charles East by Thursday, July 16. Our summer office hours are 7:30-3:00p.m. Registration can be
dropped off at school or sent in the mail. We are already planning for materials pick-up days for next
school year:
Seniors
Tuesday, August 11
8:00a.m – 1:00p.m.
Juniors
Wednesday, August 12 8:00a.m. – 1:00p.m.
Sophomores
Thursday, August 13
8:00a.m. – 1:00p.m.
Freshman Orientation
Friday, August 14
8:00a.m.-3:00p.m.
Late materials pick up will be on Monday, August 17 from 2:00p.m.- 7:00p.m. Our goal is to
have 100% of our students come in and pick up their books, get their schedules, take their pictures for
the yearbook and ID before the first day of school. Parents and students new to St. Charles East are
invited to an introduction to St. Charles East on Monday, August 17 from 4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. in the East
Little Theater.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 19. School starts at 7:20a.m. and ends at 2:21p.m.
Next year marks the end of Late Start Days and the beginning of Early Release Days. School ends at
1:30p.m. and the buses will take students home on their regular routes. If students need to stay after
for sports, clubs, homework, etc., there will be designated areas to study in the LRC, Commons and the
Little Theater. Students can leave school, go home and come back for practice, games, clubs, etc. We
are attempting to keep the start time consistent at 7:20a.m. all year and cut down on the hundreds of
students that have been late to late start days. Here is the schedule for the Early Release days next
year:
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PERIOD
START
END
1
2
3
4
4A
4B
5
5A
5B
6
6A
6B
7
7A
7B
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Buses
7:20
8:07
8:54
9:41
9:41
10:04
10:28
10:28
10:51
11:15
11:15
11:38
12:02
12:02
12:25
12:49
1:40
8:01
8:48
9:35
10:22
9:59
10:22
11:09
10:46
11:09
11:56
11:33
11:56
12:43
12:20
12:43
1:30
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 23, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 21, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 18, 2015
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 17, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 16, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 20, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 18, 2016
Back to School Night is on Thursday, August 27 from 6:30-9:00p.m. Lastly, Homecoming Week is
early this year during the week of September 8-12. We will be working with all the classes to quickly
organize and start float building during the first week of school to be prepared for Homecoming Week.
Have a safe and incredible summer!
Charlie Kyle
Principal
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The US News HS Rankings:
•
•
•
•
•
East is one of two top high schools in Kane County
East is in the Top 10 in Kane and DuPage Counties
East is in the TOP 50 in Illinois (4th year in a row)
East is in the Top 1000 in nation (4th year in a row)
East is 42nd in the state of Illinois
If you would like to check the rankings:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/slidewshows/us-news-best-high-schools
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Spanish club students and advisors Sra. Santa Maria and Srta. Weber worked together to make
a piñata from scratch! This is their "perrito" that they broke open at their May meeting. They were all
very proud of their job making him!
Spanish NHS volunteers at the Northern Illinois Food Bank the third Tuesday of each month. Students
and their advisor Sra. Gibbons speak in Spanish to one another the entire time as they serve. Students
love the chance to get to serve and practice their interpersonal speaking skills in Spanish all at the same
time. Spanish NHS hopes to continue the trend next year as well.
Spanish NHS also sold bracelets in partnership with the “Pulsera Project” during lunch hours and raised a
total of $1,250 which they donated in its entirety back to the cause so that the Nicaraguan youth who
made the bracelets could afford to go to formal school. A great event we hope to do annually.
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
On Thursday, March 12, fifteen students took the National Latin Exam. This 40-question exam is given
to Latin students across the nation. Many students earned awards for their great performance. In Latin
I, Madelyn Landahl and Alexandra Snow earned a maxima cum laude (2nd rank), Madeline Smith and
Matthew Kennedy earned a magna cum laude (3rd rank), and Cade McLean, Harry Klimek, and Reece
Fisher all earned a cum laude (4th rank). In Latin III Poetry, Jackson Yow earned a cum laude (4th rank).
Congratulations to all participating students for their hard work!
The last week of March was Foreign Language Week at East High School. French NHS, Spanish NHS, and
German NHS students participated in window painting in the Commons to promote the study of
language in the school.
Another important aspect of Foreign Language Week was the National Spanish Exam (NSE). All students
taking level 1-6 Spanish had the option to take it over the course of two days during their Spanish class
block for a small fee, which would qualify them for prizes and scholarships. Those choosing not to
participate took a practice exam during that time. There were a total of 234 students who chose to
officially participate, with 10 students placing top in the state and 38 earning national placement. On
May 11th, students who placed in the top in the state in their level were recognized at the Board
Meeting along with those who placed high on the National Latin Exam. These students who attended
the event with their teachers from left to right are pictured below:
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Anthony Benjamin (Level 5 – 3rd in state – Sra. Gibbons), Jordan Arellano (Bilingual Level 3 – 1st in state –
Mr. Tappan), Alicia Seifrid – Latin Teacher, Hannelore Tavajian (Level 3 – 10th in state – Srta. Seija),
Alexandra Snow (Level 1 Latin – 2nd rank maxima cum laude), Sra. Gibbons – Spanish 3 & AP Teacher,
John Born (Level 5 -4th in state – Sra. Gibbons), Sarah Willging (Level 5 – 1st in state – Sra. Gibbons), Luke
Neville (Level 3 -3rd in state – Sra. Gibbons), Mr. Tappan – Spanish for Spanish Speakers 2 teacher,
Michelle Sanchez (Bilingual Level 2 -4th in sate – Sra. Gunst), Mutaz Abdin (Level 3 – 6 in state – Sra.
Reyes), and Sra. Reyes – Spanish 3 & 4 Teacher.
The week culminated with the 1st annual Foreign Language Trivia Showdown, which occurred in the
Norris Cultural Arts Center throughout the school day. Foreign Language classes each class period
competed again other languages and levels offered that class period. Foreign Language teachers took
turns being the host/hostess and being the point’s person. Each class nominated 2 student
representatives to buzz in and answer questions regarding world languages and cultures. The winning
team each class period earned a trophy and candy for their class. We hope to repeat the event each
year. Winners included: 1st period – Madame Oetke’ 4/AP class.
High School Credit for Foreign Language Classes Taken in Middle School
On Monday, June 15th, the D303 School Board passed a policy granting 9th grade students high school
credit for foreign language courses taken in the middle school if they took the next course in the
sequence at East High School and earned a “B” or better both semesters. This will count as elective
credit towards the graduation requirement of 23 credits. Grades from middle school will not appear on
the transcript nor will there be any impact on GPA. We will work over the summer to identify students
who met the requirements and award the credit.
AP Summer Assignments
Many AP courses have summer assignments that were handed out by AP teachers in the weeks before
school ended. We have a site that contains information about AP classes that lists contact information
for AP teachers and has summer assignments students can download if needed. Not all AP courses have
summer assignments, but the ones listed on the site do. Please be sure your child completes any
summer assignments for AP courses so they are prepared when school starts in August. You can contact
an AP teacher for a course your child is taking for additional information. The website can be found by
clicking on the ACADEMICS link on the East home page and clicking on AP Courses on the left side of the
page.
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LRC INFORMATION
The LRC has a new logo! Sara Omi, Media Specialist, will leave her legacy, as she always felt the STCE LRC
needed a logo. Through Mrs. Richter-Duff’s Art Class, we commissioned students to make a new logo for
the LRC.
The STCE LRC said “goodbye” to Mrs. Sara Omi, Media Specialist, and Ms. Linda Caine, Computer Lab
Support Staff. Mrs. Omi has been in the STCE LRC for 25 years and Mrs. Caine has been in the district for
26.5 years. They both have brought many great things to the LRC and will be sorely missed. Mrs. Omi
has built up the book collection, pioneered the writing center and supported the teachers.
The LRC is the “heartbeat” of the school because of these two wonderful ladies.
We welcome Mrs. Kim Mazur as the new media specialist to our crew. Mrs. Mazur has planned many
new things for the LRC, such as Women’s Literature and poetry section and has spearheaded the Writing
Center for the LRC.
The LRC held its first ever Community Day for the STCE pre-school. In an effort to include the preschoolers in the LRC, the STCE LRC held a Community Day with Mr. Kyle, the principal, reading to the
children. The St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan came and spoke to the children about stranger
danger. The children, also, had computer time, where they learned about PBSkids.com and the great
advantages to educational games. The last part of their day, they were able to check out a book from
Mrs. Carrell, LRC circulation desk staff member. Mrs. Linde, pre-school teacher, and Mr. Rush, lead
teacher for technology & media, plan on having many more events that involve and embrace our Little
Saints.
Virtual Enterprise Inte
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BUSINESS EDUCATION
Virtual Enterprise International
Virtual Enterprise International finished out with another successful year! Each firm competed in many
competitions in our area, region, and at the national level! Student employees won numerous awards
and gained substantial business knowledge and skills. VEI students from both firms recently attended
the Board of Education meeting to give and overview of the year and to thank the Board for their
support.
School Store
Another amazing year for our School Store is over! The students were faced with some profound
challenges of overcoming new school health regulations and brand new employees. They accepted the
challenge of finding new delicious healthy snacks and at the same time making a profit. With their hard
work, we are proud to announce the profits made this year are going right back to the graduating senior
employees as scholarships. Congratulations staff 2015 on another great year!
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BUSINESS EDUCATION
Introduction to Business
Intro to Business students recently completed their radio ad projects. The winning radio ads from each
class were recently sent to Martopia, a local marketing firm and a valuable partner to the Business
Education Department. Martopia will evaluate the radio ads and pick a winner in the days to come.
Good luck Intro to Business finalists!
DECA
Congratulations to our National Competitor, junior Nick Stellon! At state competition this past spring,
Nick placed fourth overall in Sports & Entertainment Marketing, earning him the opportunity to
compete at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida. Over the course of
four days,Nick had the opportunity to compete against hundreds of DECA students, network with
students from all over the world, as well as enjoying time at Universal Studios and the Magic Kingdom.
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BUSINESS EDUCATION
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA ended the year strong at State Competition in Springfield. Special congratulations to Erandy
Padilla who will move on to National Competition in Louisville, KY to compete in
TShirt Design. Congratulations and good luck Erandy!
SkillsUSA
2015 State Results:
Erandy Padilla
Austin Lampkin
Extemporaneous Speech – 1st Place
TShirt Design – 1st Place
Pin Design – 2nd Place
Prepared Speech – 2nd Place
Customer Service – 2nd Place
Promotional Bulletin Board – 3rd Place
Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Job Interview – 6th Place
Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Effective Listening – 5th Place
Job Skill Demonstration – 7th Place
Yahaira Padilla
Promotional Bulletin Board – 3rd
Place Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Job Skill Demo 6th Place
Job Interview – 12th Place
Megha Nayyar
Effective Listening – 1st Place
Technical Spelling – 3rd Place
Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Job Interview – 5th Place
Beatriz Romero
Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Creative Photography BW – 5th Place
Creative Photography Digital Color – 8th Place
Job Skill Demo – 12th Place
Job Interview – 13th Place
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BUSINESS EDUCATION
Jessica Lopez
Quiz Bowl – 3rd Place
Creative Photography BW – 4th Place
Customer Service – 9th Place
Creative Photography Digital Color – 11th Place
Job Skill Demo – 13th Place
Job Interview – 18th Place
Marketing & Advertising 2
On Tuesday, April 21st, the St. Charles East and North Marketing & Advertising 2
students participated in the school’s 5th Burger Challenge Event! After weeks of market research
and promotions, three new burgers, developed by STC students, went bun-to-bun
in a sales competition at The Colonial Restaurant on Randall Road. The Southern Sizzler and the Royal,
created by East students and the Frisky Fajita created by North students were huge hits with the
St. Charles community. Again, East dominated the event with the Southern Sizzler coming out on top.
Way to go East!
Not only did participating in this research project help students gain real world marketing experience,
but students felt good about their efforts, donating a percent of the evening’s burger sales to the
charity of their choice. With 216 burgers sold this year, the students were able to raise $442 for the East
Special Olympics Team! Can’t wait until next year!
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Cooperative Education and Internship
Our Cooperative Education and Internship students recently had the opportunity to thank their
employers at our Employer Appreciation Luncheon. Thank you to COOP employers, internship sponsors,
and all district and school personnel who support our programs.
FINE ARTS
The teachers in the Fine Arts Department are extremely proud of our many fine students and would like
to congratulate the seniors and thank them for all their efforts in the classroom and on the stage.
Performing Arts
The Drama Department concluded the year with two fantastic productions. The Sound of Music was
presented on the main stage of the Norris Cultural Arts Center on April 24-26. The students of the cast,
pit orchestra and crew did a stellar job bringing this classic musical to life. On Friday May 15th, the Actor’s
Workshop Class presented their production of The Good Doctor by Neil Simon in the Koeppl Black Box
Theatre. This show was the culmination of their work over the course of the semester. Preparation and
auditions have already begun for next fall’s production of William Shakespeare’s MacBeth.
The Music Department concluded the formal performance year with seven concerts in the first three
weeks of May featuring all the bands, jazz bands, choirs, jazz choirs and orchestras. The Marching Saints
completed the year with a marching performance in the St. Charles Memorial Day Parade.
More than 140 members of The Marching Saints and 50 members of the Orchestra Program traveled to
Orlando, Florida immediately following the conclusion of the school year. The students stayed in
Orlando for five days and performed at the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney.
After 31 years of teaching music in St. Charles, Mr. Ben Oswalt is retiring at the conclusion of 2014-2015
school year. After growing up in Geneva and St. Charles and teaching for five years in South Dakota, Mr.
Oswalt returned in 1984 to teach orchestra at St. Charles High School. Over the years, he has taught
orchestra, band, jazz band, concert choir, vocal jazz and AP Music Theory at St. Charles East High School.
He has also taught beginning strings at Anderson, Fox Ridge, Lincoln, Munhall and Richmond Elementary
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FINE ARTS
Schools; orchestra, jazz band and AP Music Theory at St. Charles North High School and band at
Wredling Middle School. He has touched the lives of thousands of students in his years of teaching and
we thank him for the music and laughter he has brought to all of us and wish him well in his retirement.
Visual Art
The East High School Art Show was on display in the Norris Cultural Arts Center Gallery throughout the
month of May. Following are the award winners from this year’s art show:
3D Media
2D Media
1st Grace Ditch
1st Josh Thompson
2nd Sydney Ryan
2nd Phoebe Legg
3rd Brianna Caputo
3rd Allison Chesterfield
3D Media Honorable Mentions
2D Media Honorable Mentions
Jacob Wilford
Alyssa Knox
Makenna Anderson
Brianna Schroeder
Claire Rodriguez
Mayur Patel
Kayla Caldwell
Malay Anoulak
Tim Barrett
Digital Media
1st Shannon Perkinson
2nd Ness Cameron
3rd Ron Pavlica
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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT MEANDERINGS
Creative Writing Club attended the Upstate 8 Lit Fest at Nequa Valley High School. The following
students took home awards for their writing:
Citlali Grathoff: First Place, Descriptive Sketch
Michelle Shulman: Honorable Mention, Descriptive Sketch; Second Place, Poetry
Leah Bieniak: Second Place, Drama
Caroline Sheehan: First Place, Personal Essay; Third Place, Poetry
Cody Hedera: Second Place, Personal Essay
Kevin Eisenstein: Honorable Mention, Personal Essay & Poetry
Jon Recchia: Honorable Mention, Personal Essay
Keith Dwyer: Third Place, Poetry
Hannah Reed: Third Place, Poetry
Madeline Smith: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Sabrina Dubbert: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Brandon Pearson: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Lauren Mende: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Marie Nunn: Honorable Mention, Poetry; Honorable Mention, Short Story
Mary Herbig: First Place, Short Story
Kelvin Wang: First Place, Short Story
Sydney Bieber: Second Place, Short Story
A special congratulations to Citlali Grathoff, who also took home a Critic's Choice award for her personal
essay, "People Like Us." The Critic's Choice Award is only given to 1-2 people per category--this is a
tremendous honor!
At the beginning of this semester, the students in the Reading Classes were offered a new challenge:
attempt to read 26 books in 105 days. Seventeen students took the challenge. Thirteen of those
students achieved their goal and the other four came within four books of the 26 goal. All told, this small
group of students read 351 books in this semester. The project helped students to experience reading
widely, to enjoy many different types and styles of reading, and to have multiple reasons to visit their
school and local libraries. Students celebrated their success with a pizza party donated by Jerry Dalton,
owner of Danny’s on Douglas in Elgin. Jerry, a 2000 graduate of East, was himself a student in the
Reading Class.
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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT MEANDERINGS
Here are the names of the students who participated and the number of books they read:
Greyder Rodrigues 9
Nayeli Ramirez 12
Morgan York 10
Leslie Pena 10
Joey Tatone 12
Megha Nayyar 10
Sierra Nisler 12
Dayanara Smith 10
Rena Shuler 10
Tyler Kunstman 11
Alexis Taglia 11
Mehdia Naqvi 10
Jackie Pratts 11
Panni Toth 10, secretary and bulletin board design
Christian Edgerton 10
ECC Alliance: Several high school teachers from the Kane County area, including Lynn Trevarthen (Math
teacher) and Leslie Ladowski (English teacher) from East High School, were paired with ECC instructors
of the same discipline. These teachers met several times over several months, in large and small groups,
to discuss alignment of curriculum and academic expectations, with the hope of establishing more
dialogue between the groups and of creating a more effective transition for ECC students. The pairs
collaborated on parallel lessons, visited each others' classes, and wrote summary evaluations of and
reflections of the exchange process. The plan is to continue the Alliance program next year, perhaps
adding more teachers.
National English Honor Society hosted the first quarterly Open Mic Night! Over 25 students read poetry,
performed slam poems, and even graced us with their musical talents! Our students created a coffeeshop style ambiance that set our student performers at ease.
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FCCLA
Congratulations to:
FCCLA National Competition Team: Anastasia Anastopoulos, Celina DiCiaula and Nicole Klose!
As a team, these three seniors swept the competition and advanced as Illinois’ National Delegate Team
for competition in Washington D.C. in July. Their STAR (Students Taking Action for Recognition) event,
Promote and Publicize FCCLA, was a culminating reflection of their teamwork spanning four years of
high school activities, leadership, and friendship through their student organization for Family and
Consumer Sciences. They did extensive research on traditional and digital forms of Marketing and
uplifted the face of the St. Charles East FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America)
organization and membership this year.
“As a group we are excited and eager to be the face of FCCLA St. Charles East; and it is an honor
to be chosen as team to represent Illinois at the FCCLA National Leadership Competition. We have the
opportunity to attend a National Leadership Conference in addition to experiencing a College Fair,
Exhibits, and so much more! We know East is always happy and supportive of individuals and teams
who advance to higher level competition.
Thank you in advance for your continued support!
Anastasia Anastopoulos, Nicole Klose and Celina DiCaula”
Baking and Pastry Arts
Students within the Baking and Pastry classes at East have worked hard on baking cakes and mastering
the arts of decorating. Students were able to view a live demo presented by Wilton Cakes.
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FCCLA
This demonstration taught the basics of the pastry bag and how to create decorative pieces. Using a
yellow butter cake recipe, each student was able to assemble their own cake and decorate with a
delicious Italian Buttercream frosting. In a culminating event the students participated in cupcakes
wars.
Culinary Arts
Students in the Culinary Arts Program at East studied quick breads. Obtaining the knowledge and
beginning to understand the functions of each ingredient allowed the students to make a variety of
baked goods including; cookies, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits. Each student created a pie crust with
apple pie filling. On Friday 5/8 these pies were taken home and enjoyed.
Culinary Practices in Entrepreneurship
Students in the Culinary Practices in Entrepreneurship class ended the year strong with their second
annual “Restaurant Wars” Final Exam Challenge. Each class was charged with developing and executing
their own restaurant concept. From menu to décor, the students worked with each other developing
menus based on industry standards and market research. Students proudly showcased their culinary
skills; but also gained leadership, teamwork and valuable life experience as they shopped for their
ingredients and décor while on a budget. Students were selected as Executive Chefs, Treasures and
Front of House managers to ensure smooth service and happy customers. Faculty and staff were invited
to judge each concept: “Chow Ciao Café” an upscale sandwich shop and “Off the Coast” a fine dining
Mediterranean restaurant with a relaxing feel. Congratulations to “Off the Coast” for excelling in Décor,
Service, Overall Atmosphere and Food Quality.
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FCCLA
Child Development: School Age Years
The students in our Adolescence Unit worked on digging deeper into understanding the different realms
of development and the importance of being productive members of society. We explored how diverse
learners impact not only our present but also our futures as the students in the course are passionate
about finding fulfilling careers working with children, teens, and young adults.
Interior Design
Students Addison Stratchan, Emily Fullhart, and Madison Weick showcased their 3D elevation rooms
and client profile boards to the D303 Board of Education at their May meeting. These students were
able to discuss and explain their projects and share knowledge about the elements and principals of
design. Way to go, girls!
Fashion Marketing and Merchandising
Fashion Marketing and Merchandising hosts “Fashion Dash 2015”
It was an afternoon event filled with fashion, food and friend. The Fashion Marketing students planned a
rotation for the event participants. Each fashion workshop covered different areas of study in the
fashion world. The workshops included: visual display and draping, fashion modeling and styling
photography, fashion sketching and illustration, and mindfulness of design through recycling efforts
using tee shirt redesign. Alessandra Racanelli (senior), “Our purpose was to encourage creative thinking
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FCCLA
and build creations while being surrounded and taught by people who love fashion.” Celina DiCiaula
(senior), “We wanted everyone to leave feeling like they learned something, had fun, and explored
career possibilities in the fashion industry.”
Early Childhood Practicum
Students prepared for Little Saints Graduation. Our 14-week program came to an end. The creativity,
energy and passion for working with young children illustrated by these high school students have made
the program a success. Thank you ladies and congratulations to our Little Saints!
Teaching & Learning Practicum
High school teaching interns wrapped up the year at their elementary or middle school placements and
preparing for their culminating experience of a mock interview. The interns perfected resumes, cover
letters and interview skills to prepare them for this authentic experience. Thank you to all D303 faculty
interviewers that volunteered to make this day possible! Good luck ladies on your mock interview!
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Interior Design
The Interior Design 2 class designed and created an adirondack chair for the Downtown St. Charles
Partnership “Chair-ity” Event. The chair was donated by the class to be auctioned online during
Memorial Day weekend.
After completing the furniture unit, the students decided to design, paint, seal, and build a chair for
their summative project. With a couple days of planning and research, they knew the difference
between cross and top rails, spindles and stiles, and could tell the apron from the seat. Each designer
sketched a design appropriate for the chair based on the event guidelines. Britney Davidson’s design
won the hearts of the class and they proceeded to apply their project management skills to meet the
program’s deadlines. They ordered 7 cans of Benjamin Moore and took action. Britney, “It was a fun and
extremely interactive way to learn about furniture design and also do something good for our
community at the same time. We had a few conflicts, but we were able to execute the design of a
beautiful chair.”
Signed, sealed and delivered, the chair will be placed in its “summer-home” in a downtown St. Charles
location on May 22 through Labor Day weekend. All chairs will have signage with the auction number
and the website where people can go to bid on the chair. Auction proceeds will be used to benefit
downtown St. Charles Volunteer Plaza.
AUTOS
Automotive Technology Classes
Students in the Auto Tech III class prepared for certification testing for the past 3 years. At the end of
the semester, they sat for the exams. We are very pleased to announce that we have some students
who earned Automotive workplace certifications.
Here are the results:
All Data Certified Automotive Information Specialist
Anthony Bisogni
Rey David Cuautle
Draven Hutcheson
Jeremiah Fredrick
Connor Plumb
Matt Soto
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Student ASE Certification – Maintenance and Light Repair
Anthony Bisogni
Draven Hutcheson
Jeremiah Fredrick
Connor Plumb
Matt Soto
Auto Club
Auto Club students planned, organized, and ran the 11th Annual Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Show on
May 16th as a benefit for Lazarus House shelter in St. Charles. The drinks, and entertainment were
provided by other clubs and Career and Technical Education classes. Some of the school groups that
made this year’s show a success were ISO, Marketing II classes, Senior Class, School Store, and Getaway
Restaurant Management classes.
When it was all said and done, we raised $1093 for Lazarus House and had nearly 70 beautiful vehicles
registered. Also, we awarded trophies in 30 categories designed around our student and guest vehicles.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY
We have reached that time of the year where we say goodbye to our graduating seniors and start
thinking about the Future. It is a time for reflection and recognition of those who have made significant
contributions to the Project Lead the Way program.
This year we recognize six people who have made a significant commitment to their future. These
people have successfully completed the coursework for Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of
Engineering, and Engineering Design and Development as well meeting the scoring requirement on the
end of course assessment to earn their graduation cords in Engineering.
L to R: Caroline Beavan (Milwaukee School of Engineering), Jared Brown (The Ohio State University),
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Steven Michelotti (University of Illinois), Paul Beligon (Purdue University), and Benjamin McNichols
(University of Illinois), and Adam Finke (Lehigh University).
Congratulations to them as they start the next part of their journey.
On May 18th and 19th, the Project Lead the Way classes took the End of Course Assessment. This EOC is
similar in nature to AP tests and students received a score of 0 to 9 indicating their knowledge of the
subject and how they ranked nationally against other Project Lead the Way students. Students who
earned a 6 or higher on the EOC is eligible for credit from University of Iowa. Please go to the
website http://www.pltwiowa.org/index.php?College-Credit-Information-82 or contact your counselor
for more details.
NEWS FROM THE NURSE
District 303 requires all freshmen students to submit a school physical on the State of Illinois Certificate
of Child Health Examination to the school nurse prior to the first day of school, August 19th. The physical
must be completed within one year of the first day of school. An athletic physical is not sufficient to
meet the District requirement. The required form is available on the St. Charles East High School web
site under Parents, forms, health forms, and then Child Health Examination. Due to a change in Illinois’
immunization requirements, seniors must be immunized for bacterial meningitis with the MCV4 vaccine
prior to the first day of school this fall.
I am not in the building during the summer. I return to the nurses’ office mid-August. Our nurse’s office
values your input regarding your child’s health so please contact us with any health concerns that may
impact your child’s education. By working as a team we can ensure that your child receives the best
possible health care during their high school career.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy summer!
Donna Priest RN – School Nurse – donna.priest@d303.org
24
MATH
Math Honor Society
On April 21, thirty students were inducted into Mu Alpha Theta. The students inducted are:
Kyle Agular
Matthew Breidigan
Eli Brottman
Alyssa Brown
Kevin Davis
Shannon Dohr
Miranda Doria
Kevin Eisenstein
Carter Frey
Jessica Glas
Isabel Herb
Christopher Holloway
Christopher Horn
Alan Koval
Brendan Luecker
Casey McNichols
Anna Moritz
Jordan Morling
Amy Pearson
Michael Rathslag
Jack Rzepecki
Jacob Schweizer
Neal Shah
Swapnil Shah
Jack Sitta
Paige Spata
Jasmine Thakkar
Alexander Thomas
Matthew Weberski
Margaret Wroble
Congratulations to our new members!
Math Team
Nine members of the math team qualified to compete at the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics
state math meet on Saturday, May 2nd. The competition was held at the University of Illinois in
Champaign-Urbana. The 2-person varsity team, consisting of Austin Born and John Born competed at
the state math meet. The Algebra team also competed at the state math meet. Algebra team members
are Jacqueline Chimienti, Hunter Godina, Severance Graham, Adam Miramontez, Alex Podl, and Ananya
Yammanuru. Alan Koval competed at the state meet as an individual in Geometry.
25
SOCIAL STUDIES
Government For A Day
The 48th edition of Government For A Day, a student led city council simulation, was held on Monday,
May 18th at St. Charles City Hall. Seven presentations were made regarding Foxfield Theater, First
Street Development, Valley Shopping Center, Old St. Charles Mall, Charlestowne Mall, Pheasant Run,
and the Active River Project.
The following students served as Public Officials for Government For A Day:
Mayor: Sydney Mann
Mayor Pro Tempore: Peter Hatch
Parliamentarian: Colton Thomas
Aldermen:
Sara Ahmad
Rameez Baig
Charlie Blood
Ramon Lopez
Benjamin McNichols
Cam Miller
Rebecca Murphy
Madeline Paliganoff
Erika Ruud
Monika Stoskute
26
SOCIAL STUDIES
AP Summer Assignments
There will be a summer assignment for the following AP courses – AP Human Geography, AP European
History, AP U.S. History, AP Psychology, and AP Government. Students should access East’s AP Summer
Assignment link on the school’s website to find out more information. Any questions should be directed
to the following teachers:
AP Human Geography
Tracie Truax - tracie.truax@d303.org
Adam Beilstein – adam.beilstein@d303.org
AP European History
Kyle Libberton – kyle.libberton@d303.org
Brian Teresinski – brian.teresinski@d303.org
AP U.S. History
Lori Drumtra – lori.drumtra@d303.org
Diann Saylors – diann.saylors@d303.org
AP Psychology
Donna Sotern – donna.sotern@d303.org
AP Government
Jerry Powers – jerry.powers@d303.org
27
ATHLETICS
Spring Athletic Season concluded with many highlights. Our Girls Soccer Team had a tremendous 21 win
season and finished in the top 10 in the area. Our Girls Track Team qualified 21 girls for The IHSA State
Finals, and our Boys Track Team qualified 17 for the IHSA State Finals. The Saints Boys Tennis Team won
the IHSA Sectional tournament and our Softball Team was UEC River Division Conference Champs. This
summer our athletes will be working hard in preparations for next year. See you in August!
Here are the results for Saints ISO participation in the 2015 Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games:
Chris Chavez
1st place-Running Long Jump
Alex Niforatos
7th place-100M Run
Anthony Sbarra
4th place-50M Freestyle Swim
7th place-50M Backstroke Swim