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Saturday, February 04
 
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International Fair 2012 promotes diversity education
Preparations for the second annual International Fair on March 10 are underway. Many groups already have committed to perform, and more are invited to help fill the program by representing their ethnicity, region, or religion, Co-superintendent Mike Nekritz said.
"It's really about promoting diversity and encouraging people to be proud of what they stand for," he said.
About 350 people attended the 2011 fair — a number Nekritz said he hopes to double this year. Attendees have the chance to sample food, hear music, and watch performances and demonstrations, such as Filipino dancers, Assyrian dancers, and Irish dancers. Germany and Poland are other countries expected to be represented at the fair so far.
The International Fair is one of the district's initiatives to achieve its goal in diversity education. The goal states, "...we are committed to developing students who are knowledgeable and capable of recognizing differences and acting in a way that demonstrates acceptance, tolerance, and democratic principles."
This year's fair will be held in the ACHS main gym from 5-7 p.m. Contact Rachel Morales or Amy Skonberg for more information. |
Seniors receive recognition as Illinois State Scholars
Thirty-eight seniors have been named State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. These members of the Class of 2012 earned the honor because of their high ACT scores, class ranks, and grade point averages. Approximately the top ten percent of graduates from approved high schools are announced as State Scholars each year. The State Scholars received a congratulatory letter and were recognized at the December You Make A Difference Breakfast.
The recipients include Samantha Abear, Brandon Alfonso, Emily Andre, Asha Bacchus, Kevin Boudreau, Brian Chivers, Jennifer Collings, Jeffrey Deboer, Kyle Dornbusch, Denis Dumitru, Steven Farrell, Zachary Freundt, Dylan Gorski, Cassondra Herman, Alexandria Hoffman, Andrew Imler, Mayank Jethva, Derrick Kolpanen, Josh Kurtz, Mallory Lukasik, Kayla McClellan, Rachel McNelis, Gwendolyn Moser, Milo Nielsen, Trenton Noble, Paul Nogle, Matthew Poss, Amanda Ray, Kristina Ring, Kelsey Schreiber, Damian Simonini, Nicholas Soria, William Thornton, Abel Tinajero, Mark Wallner, Kyler Ward, Matthew Wilfert and Alexandra Zogran. |
Sign up now to receive important text message alerts
When extreme weather or other situations result in the cancellation of classes or other schedule changes, the quickest way to receive bulletins with important information is with our text message alert system.
By subscribing to District 117’s Text Message Alerts, students and parents can receive text messages in the event of school closings or other emergencies. By providing a cell phone number and the name of the wireless provider, district administrators can send these alerts directly to subscribers. The system proved successful this past year, and we hope to increase the number of families taking advantage of the program. Aside from a confirmation text message, no routine messages will be sent via the alert system, only urgent communications dealing with school closings or emergencies. Bulletins will also be posted on district websites, Facebook, and Twitter, as in the past.
Click here to sign up to receive District 117 Text Message Alerts. Subscriptions last for the entire school year. |
Eckenstahler, Farnsworth, Webb make Hall of Fame
Three alumni became the latest inductees into ACHS' Athletics Hall of Fame on December 10 between games of the Antioch vs. Lakes boys' and girls' basketball showdown.
Eric Eckenstahler, class of 1995, was a six-time letter winner in baseball and basketball, earning numerous all-conference and all-area recognitions. Eric went on to pitch at Illinois State University, where he set numerous school records and was a two time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He went on to pitch in the Tigers, Cubs and Reds organizations, reaching the major leagues in 2002.
Teri Farnsworth, class of 1991, was recognized on several all-conference and all-area teams while participating in basketball, volleyball and track for the Sequoits. She finished in 11th place in the high jump at the 1991 IHSA State Track and Field Meet. Teri played volleyball her freshman year at Gettysburg College, where she was selected to several all-tournament teams. She went on to earn two degrees from the Keller Graduate School of Management.
Brenda Webb, class of 1985, earned four varsity letters in softball and three in basketball. She helped to lead the Sequoits to one conference and three IHSA regional championships, along with being named to All-Conference teams in both sports her senior year. She went on to earn a full scholarship at Eastern Illinois University in basketball, where she was a member of the 1987 Gateway Conference Championship team that also qualified for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Brenda worked for the Illinois State Police for 20 years before retiring in 2010. |
Sophomores earn best PLAN results in last six years
Members of the class of 2014 nailed the PLAN test which they took on November 3, posting a 19.5 composite score, the highest in six years. Sophomores also showed greater-than-average growth from the EXPLORE test they took as incoming freshmen. Scores went up 3.6 from the spring of 2010; average growth is 2-3 points.
By subject, students showed impressive growth in all four of the test's areas. Both English and reading scores improved by 3.8 points. Math scores gained 3.6 points, and science results showed a 3.2 point improvement.
Students will receive individual results in January, including both test results and career options based on the interest inventory that is part of the PLAN.
Compared to the test's benchmark scores, which indicate college readiness, ACHS sophomores are well ahead of the targets in three of the four subject areas for this point of their education. PLAN results also serve as an indicator of students' performance on the ACT, and ACHS is poised to record its highest average to date when the class of 2014 takes the exam in 16 months. |
District 117 students show big growth in test scores
Community High School District 117 is bucking the state trend of lower standardized test scores and has instead seen substantial growth. Both Antioch and Lakes High Schools saw their scores in all subgroup categories of students statistically improve. The growth seen from last year’s PSAE scores ranges from 3.72 percent to 26.1 percent increase. The percentage of students meeting and exceeding state standards in reading went from 56.2 percent to 63.4 percent, a 12.8 percent improvement. In math the percentage meeting and exceeding jumped 15.96 percent, growing from 57 percent to 66.1 percent. Not surprisingly, ACT scores have improved as well.
Data from ACT clearly shows that District 117 student growth greatly exceeds national averages. Normal growth from the PLAN exam given to sophomores to the ACT given to juniors is approximately 2.4 points. District 117 averaged an increase of 3.2 points for students in that took both exams. This represents a 33 percent greater growth than students throughout the rest of the country achieved. The district’s students, staff, and community share equal credit for these successes.
“We are extremely proud of the growth our students have demonstrated on the high stakes tests, but we are more excited about how we are achieving these improvements,” said co-superintendent Mike Nekritz. “Our students understand the importance of learning and succeeding in school, while our faculty has been committed to developing curriculum and instruction that are better preparing students for success beyond high school.” |
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– Institute Day: No School - February 17
– Turnabout Dance - February 18
– Presidents Day: No School - February 20
– Winter Play: Collective Dating - February 23-26
– Institute Day: No School - March 2
– Puliski Day: No School - March 5
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Leadership council meeting: February 6, 8 a.m., auditorium
Dress On A Dimemeeting: February 6, 3 p.m., room 255
Summer In Winter Week: February 6-10, commons
AMPS meeting: February 7, 7 p.m., main office
Girls' soccer meeting: February 8, 3 p.m., room 125
Boys' tennis meeting: February 9, 3 p.m., gym foyer |
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Boys' Basketball
Varsity 42, Grant 49
Cheerleading
State Finals
Preliminary Round
Varsity: 4th place, medium teams
Dance
Lake Zurich Competition
Varsity: 1st place, open dance & 1st place, AA kick
Girls' Bowling
Conference Tournament
Varsity: 3rd place (12 teams)
Wrestling
North Suburban Conference Meet
Varsity: 3rd place (14 teams) |
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· ACT: February 11
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SAT: March 10
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PSAE: April 24 & 25
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AP: May 7-18
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