Stevenson Daily Digest - April 18, 2019
Jim Conrey
Stevenson Daily Digest - Thursday, April 18, 2019
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SHS Third at Journalism Sectional; 3 Heading to State
Stevenson placed third as a team and qualified three students for state at the Illinois High School Association Journalism Sectional held at SHS last Saturday. Students from 14 schools competed in 18 categories, with the top three qualifying for the IHSA State Finals on Friday, April 26 at Heartland Community College in Normal.
Sophomore Joo Eun (Grace) Kwon earned first place in Yearbook Copy Writing. She will be joined downstate by senior Kendall Roberts, who placed second in Editorial Writing, and senior Aniket Nuthalapati, who was third in both Copy Editing and Headline Writing.
Twelve other students, all members of the Statesman or Ambassador staffs, finished in the top six at the sectional. Four were fourth: Senior Chloe Myers (Infographics), and juniors Anjini Grover (Feature Writing), Cheryl Chen (Newspaper Design) and Akshita Singh (Yearbook Caption Writing). Seven finished in fifth place: Senior Ashley Mandel (Review Writing), sophomore Bradley Locker (Broadcast News), the team of seniors Bella Schneider and Sivakami Ramakrishnan and junior Christie Lee (Video Newscast), and freshmen Kelly Cheung and Xinyue Zhang (Yearbook Theme Development). Senior Braeden Forman was sixth in Sports Writing.
“Shrek” Yields Two IHSMTA Nominations
Stevenson’s production of “Shrek the Musical” last fall has earned two nominations in the eighth annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards sponsored by Broadway in Chicago. Senior Isabel Koleno is one of 12 nominees in the Best Actress category, for her portrayal of Princess Fiona. Also earning a nomination was the musical’s director, theatre teacher Abra Chusid (Class of 2003), who is in her first year at her alma mater. Click here to see highlights from Shrek.
The nominees were chosen after evaluation of 72 productions and more than 275 student applicants across the state. The Best Actor and Best Actress winners will be determined after they perform for a panel of casting agents and theatre professionals during a workshop on Monday, May 6. Winners will be announced during the annual awards program that night at Broadway Playhouse in Chicago.
The Best Actress and Best Actor winners will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, for a week of coaching and rehearsals to prepare for a one-night performance on Broadway at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards. Stevenson has had one student reach the national level: Jonah Rawitz (Class of 2016), who was named Best Actor in Illinois in 2014 for his performance in “In The Heights.”
This is the fourth consecutive year the school musical has earned an IHSMTA nomination. Last year, “Fiddler on the Roof” was one of five nominees for Best Production, and AJ DePew (Class of 2018) was nominated for Best Actor. Jordan Radis (Class of 2017) received Best Actor nominations in 2017 and 2016 for “Big Fish” and “Miss Saigon,” respectively. Retired SHS theatre teacher Cynthia Burrows received Best Director consideration for “Big Fish.” Kaitlin Feely (Class of 2016) was a Best Actress nominee for “Miss Saigon,” which also was nominated for Best Production in 2016. She also was nominated for Best Actress in 2014 for her role in “In The Heights.”
Student Council Receives National Recognition
Stevenson’s Student Council has been recognized as a National Gold Council of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year by the National School Council. The honor is bestowed on councils with an exemplary record of leadership development, service and activities that help to improve the school and the community. Steve Soszko, David Eddy and Molly Sponseller are the sponsors of Stevenson Student Council.
Spring Band Concert Monday and Tuesday
All five Stevenson bands will perform during the Spring Band Concert next week in the Performing Arts Center. The concert will take place over two nights. On Monday, the Concert Band and Freshman Band will play, with the Symphonic Band, Advanced Symphonic Band and Honor Band performing on Tuesday. Each night begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For those unable to attend, a live stream will be available for viewing on the Fine Arts Division’s Vimeo page.
FIRE Students Attend National Diversity Convention
Ten students from FIRE (Fostering Intercultural Respect and Empowerment) attended the National Student Leadership Diversity Convention held April 4-6 in Chicago. The students who attended were seniors Michelle Cai, Citlaly Diaz, Dora Guo, Amira Hady and Maema Njongmeta, junior Adriana Flores, sophomores Abigail Mendoza and Jordan Tollison, and freshmen Nathan Li and Stella Tapia Lopez.
The convention is the largest national gathering of student leaders and campus-based advisors to address topics of diversity and social justice challenging schools today. During the event, the FIRE students continued to develop an action plan to foster an inclusive learning environment at SHS. The club advisors are Dr. Marla Israel and Ellyn Ross.
Parents Invited to Help With Next PPA Bake Sale
The next Patriot Parent Association Bake Sale is coming up on Wednesday. The PPA is looking for adult volunteers to provide store-bought or homemade treats, and to work the bake sale. Click here to sign up.
No School, No Digest on Friday
Friday is a non-attendance day at Stevenson High School, and it also will be a non-publication day for the Daily Digest. The Digest will return Monday.
Click here for today’s athletic schedule
Wednesday’s Varsity Results
Boys Tennis
Stevenson 7, Glenbrook South 1: The Patriots (8-1) won all five doubles matches and two of three singles contests at the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex. Zach Kim, who placed third in state singles last spring, topped the Titans’ No. 1 singles entry, who went four rounds into the 2018 tournament, by a 6-3, 6-2 score. Aswath (Ozzie) Viswanathan and Arjun Sheelvanth earned a 7-6 (4), 6-2 decision in a matchup of two tandems that went deep into the consolation bracket last year. Nicholas Stec had the other singles victory at No. 3, by a 6-0, 6-1 count. Payton Adkisson and Daniel Tulchinskiy were 7-5, 6-4 winners at No. 2 doubles, followed by Thomas Gong and Andy Dong at No. 3 (6-1, 6-1), Gabriel Visotsky and Kevin Fei at No. 4 (6-0, 6-2) and Michael Kim and Christopher Yang at No. 5 (6-1, 6-3). Stevenson has won seven straight matches.
Softball
Stevenson 15, Glenbrook South 14: Emily Freedman celebrated her birthday by hitting a walkoff, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh as the Patriots overcame an early 10-run deficit. The Titans led 11-1 heading into the bottom of the third, when Haley Barnes (3-for-3, RBI, four runs scored) hit a solo home run to put a dent in the margin. In the next inning, SHS erupted for eight runs. Anna Fossier opened the inning with a solo homer, and capped it later with a RBI single. She was 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Emily (3-for-5, 4 RBI) smacked a two-run triple, and Elle Ruchim and Maggie Trotter (3-for-4, 3 RBI) each hit two-run doubles in the fourth. After GBS took a 12-10 lead in the top of the sixth, Emily stole home and Lexi Gitler hit a two-run homer to give Stevenson a 13-12 lead. The Titans regained the lead with two runs in the top of the seventh, setting up the dramatic finish in the bottom of the frame. Taylor Edelheit picked up the win in the circle by tossing the last three innings, and giving up only one earned run. - GameChanger.com
Baseball
Stevenson 5, Lake Zurich 2: Frank Carris and Nick Wang combined on a five-hitter as the visiting Patriots (10-5, 4-2) avenged Tuesday’s loss to the Bears (9-5, 4-2). Frank started and went four innings, giving up three hits and two runs (only one earned), and Nick tossed three innings of scoreless relief to pick up the save. Jake Surane staked SHS to a 2-1 lead in the second inning with a two-run double. He was 2-for-3 in the game. Lake Zurich tied the game at 2-2 in the third, then Brandon Ward’s RBI groundout gave the Pats a 3-2 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Zach Taylor, Ryan McElhinny and Drew Ruchim all had two hits. Ryan Miller scored two runs. - GameChanger.com
Girls Lacrosse
Stevenson 17, Warren 3: The host Patriots (7-6) won for the sixth time in their last seven outings. - NFHS Network Replay
Boys Volleyball
Stevenson d. Lake Zurich, 25-20, 25-21: Gavin Meng had 10 kills, Justin Ross added seven, and Andrew Keevins served six aces for the host Patriots (15-5, 3-0) in the Sports Center. Will Sorenson was 51-of-52 setting with 17 assists and a team-high seven digs. John Angelos was 6-for-6 setting with three assists. Justin and Gavin each had two aces for SHS, which had 11 on the night. Gavin, Thomas Finn and Samuel Epstein all made five digs. - NFHS Network Replay
Boys Lacrosse
Warren 16, Stevenson 2: Ben Niesman and Ryan Hynes scored the Patriot goals in Gurnee. - @PatsLax | NFHS Network Replay
Tuesday’s Varsity Results
Boys Track and Field
Stevenson 80, Lake Forest 57; Stevenson 103, Zion-Benton 28: Sophomore David Smolensky broke the freshman-sophomore school record while winning the 200-meter dash in the Stadium. He posted a time of 22.04 seconds, breaking the frosh-soph record of 22.1 set in 1984 by Pat Cadichon and matched in 2009 by Brandon Stryganek, who owns the varsity mark of 21.32. David was one of five Patriots to win individual events. Alan Sherman captured the 1,600 (4:49.1), Tarun Kalyana Sundaram claimed the 3,200 (10:39.5), Jahleel Perrin won the 100 (10.9) and Anand Batbaatar reigned in the shot put (50 feet, 8 inches). SHS also won the 1,600 relay (9:10.5) and the 400 relay (43.4).
College Selections Ceremony Honors 14
Fourteen student-athletes announced their college choices during an eighth-hour recognition ceremony on Wednesday. To see who was honored and where they’re heading, click here.
Today on NFHS Network
Live streams of the varsity boys volleyball triangular with Machesney Park Harlem and Niles Notre Dame, and the varsity girls badminton match at Libertyville, will be available today. The volleyball games begin at 5 p.m. in the Sports Center, while the badminton match gets underway at LHS at 4:30. Watch the action on Stevenson’s NFHS Network page.
STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Click This Link to See More Announcements
Graduation Cap, Gown Pick-Up Tuesday
Graduation cap and gown pick-up for seniors will take place Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. outside the College Career Center. This will be seniors’ only chance to pick up their cap and gown before graduation practice. For more graduation information, visit www.d125.org/graduation.
Senior Class Party Bus Sign-Up on Tuesday
Senior Class Party bus sign-ups will take place Tuesday outside the College Career Center during the lunch periods. All seniors attending the end-of-year party must sign up for a bus or they will be placed on buses at random.
All student-athletes are required to attend one meeting led by the athletic director during the 2018-19 school year. The last opportunity is from 9:45-10:15 a.m. Thursday, April 25 in the West Auditorium. April 25 is a late arrival day. Topics to be covered include: expectations of and leadership opportunities for student-athletes; the Co-Curricular Code of Conduct; sportsmanship; sports health and nutrition; and Stevenson Athletics’ awards program. Attendance will be taken by scanning student IDs.
ILLINOIS EDUCATION HEADLINES
Seventh-grader shoots self, dies at Lyons middle school
Are tests, costs making state teacher shortage worse?
Hinsdale referendum supporters spent $400K on campaign
Family sues Kaneland district over treatment of autistic child
Ex-Earlville superintendent found not guilty of sexual assault
Triton College prof links trustees with white supremacy
EIU program touts rural teacher jobs
Harper College honors outgoing president
NATIONAL EDUCATION HEADLINES
Woman who sparked Denver school closings kills self
Washington district latest to eliminate librarians
College freshman dies 6 days after suspected hazing
BYU students protest application of its honor code
FBI bars some China scholars from US over spying concern
Cursive writing making comeback
College president navigates rocky job search
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The Daily Digest is compiled and edited by Jim Conrey. To subscribe or unsubscribe, contact him at jco...@d125.org.