Every Picture Tells a Story.pdf - Township High School District 113

Every picture tells a story.
Click on any picture to read all about it!
These pictures were all taken this school year, 2009-2010. We take great pride in the academic success
and the extracurricular interests of our students. Each photo is a snapshot of D113 excellence.

Learn of District 113 News.
Sign up for Email updates.
Go to this website to sign up:.
Dist113 Email Updates

Student Television Award of Excellence
This photograph depicts a memorable moment for DHS junior, Sam
Lazar. He was awarded a Crystal Pillar, which is the Student
Television Award of Excellence. The award is offered by the Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences. Sam received the Crystal
Pillar for excellence in sports reporting. He and other multimedia
students from WDHS (the TV call name for Deerfield High School
video productions) attended the dinner ceremony. At the ceremony,
Sam had the opportunity to meet many professional journalists
from local TV studios. In this picture, Sam poses with Robert
Jordan, an anchor from WGN TV, and Marion Brooks from NBC.
To view WDHS student programs from the past school year, utilize
this link:
http://www.schooltube.com/user/WDHS
back
Respect the Red
Students at Deerfield High School “packed the
place” during the boys‟ basketball season. The
Varsity boys‟ basketball team developed a huge
fan base because of their success as a team.
With a record of 25-4 on the season, they won
the CSL conference and the IHSA Regional title.
Their coach, Bret Just was named the Pioneer
Press Coach of the Year.
The athletes worked with their fans to kick-off
a Respect the Red campaign, which sought to
increase school spirit and develop a culture of
positive cheering, student attendance and participation
at athletic events. Throughout the
season, students represented their school and
community in a FIRST CLASS manner, positively interacting with opposing fans and
players.
Later in the school year, the DHS fans garnered attention from a local band called,
Endiskize, who wrote a song called “We Don‟t Back Down.” The song carries the themes
of pride, spirit, adversity, resiliency, goals, victory…… all important characteristics valued
by student athletes. The song was released to ESPN as a sports anthem and has
been played on some of their broadcasts. DHS students were selected to film this music
video because of the enthusiasm they showed in the student section at events. The song/
video was released on BET, VH1, MTV and ESPN.
back

Illinois High School Dance Festival
In February, Deerfield High School dance students
attended the Illinois High School Dance Festival.
One of the DHS students choreographed a dance
piece that was chosen to be performed at Riverside
-Brookfield High School. This is an honorable accomplishment
because only ten dances are chosen
from the many high school dance programs that
audition. The piece they performed is entitled La
Boite and it was choreographed by Claire Wood, a
junior dance student. The narrative piece is based
on the interaction between Mimes who are inside
a box trying to get out. One of the dancers breaks
the 'mime code' by speaking and then struggles to find acceptance again. The dancers in
this piece are: Claire Wood, Chloe Somberg, Irina Gass, Jessie Harris, Julia Benson,
Maddie Savin, Maura Reagan, and Shayna Heichman.
back
Green School Initiative
Students in the Green School Initiative (GSI) program
at HPHS delivered prescription drug collection
boxes to the Highland Park Police Department
and the North Shore Health Center. The
students designed the boxes and delivered them
as part of the school's P2D2 program (Prescription
Pill and Drug Disposal program). P2D2 was started
by students at Pontiac High School as an effort
to help keep unused & expired prescription drugs
from being flushed down toilets or sinks, where
the drugs eventually mix with drinking water. As
an alternative, P2D2 drop-boxes are established
in the community where residents can bring unused
medications for safe disposal. All of the drugs deposited in the boxes are collected by
the police and then safely incinerated. The Highland Park P2D2 program began in the
summer of 2009 and is a collaborative project between the HPHS GSI club, the Highland
Park City Council, the Highland Park Police Department, the North Shore Health Center
and the Save-a-Star antidrug organization. The Highland Park High School students pictured,
Jake Levine, Alena Wigodner, Josh Olian and Marguerite Tibbles, designed the
collection boxes and they developed a number of community education presentations
about the program. At this time, P2D2 collection boxes are located at the Highland Park
Police station and the North Shore Health Clinic.
The Green School Initiative has completed other worthwhile projects this school year. For
instance, they worked with the school‟s maintenance staff to install two solar panels and
a small wind turbine at the school. The devices will be used to enable students to conduct
investigations into alternative energy sources that might one day be utilized to power
large portions of the school building.
back

Science Night
Science Club students did science demos and activities with
students at Walden School‟s Science Night. They used
lava lamps, UV light beads, sodium acetate supersatured
solution, dry ice….and enthralled future students
about science! Pictured is Yucheng Pan, a DHS senior,
who volunteered to guide younger students in their
quest to learn more about science. Yucheng was also selected
to participate in an internship at Northwestern
through Argonne Labs on nanotechnology this summer.
back
DHS West Gym Garden
A dream became a reality…The DHS West Gym Garden is complete!
Thank you to Beeson‟s Nursery and botany interns, Megan Van
Artsdalen, Carrie Terwilliger, Elizabeth Villano, Natalie Neiman,
plus students from AP Environmental Science, Earthworks, Student
Council and the Freshman Exec Board for planning and
planting the garden. A sincere thank you to the PTO and all of
you for supporting our project and fund raising efforts! Please enjoy
a stroll along the sidewalk…
back
HPHS Graduation
HPHS graduates line up to enter the Ravinia Pavilion.
The class of 2010 accomplished a great deal
over their four years of high school and showed
tremendous leadership. We wish our graduates
well as they embark on the next leg of their journey.
Did you know that we keep up with our
graduates to see how well we served them while
they were in high school? We survey a randomly
selected pool of District 113 graduates to hear
their perspective of the full high school experience: academics, extracurriculars, school
climate, etc. Knowing how students felt about their high school years allows us to reflect
on the educational experience we provide to students.
back

HPHS Robotics Team
For weeks, the Robotics Team and their advisors, science
teachers Jonathan Weiland and Lars Nelson,
collaborated multiple days a week to constantly
alter and perfect an ever-evolving robot they
named “Scimitar”. Coming off a strong performance
at the Illinois State Competition in December
with hardware to show for it, the team was
poised for a strong run at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
First Tech Challenge: Wisconsin
State Robotics Championship. During the final
meetings before the competition, junior Jordan
Kravitz ensured that the robot‟s programming
and controls were calibrated to perfection, while sophomore Michael Schoof and juniors
Adam Hartman, Leo Schwartz, and Alex Spizman made their final adjustments to the
robot‟s innovative catapult and cannon.
Once the competition commenced, the HP Thunderbots came off to a slow start. They
squeaked out a 6-0 victory in their first match due to a failed start by Scimitar. Their second
match also resulted in a win, but gave the team little confidence, as they incurred a
large penalty at the beginning of the bout. Without a solid strategy and bogged down
with mechanical errors, the Thunderbots suffered their first loss in match #3 to a talented
pair of high-scoring „bots. After a rough morning, the team broke for lunch and got to
work repairing the faults that Scimitar exposed. They regrouped for a hopeful afternoon
surge. The focal point of the day‟s events occurred in the team‟s fifth match. After a rousing
motivational pep talk by newly joined junior Evan Deahl, the Thunderbots collaborated
brilliantly with their partner squad to take down the opponent bots. After that match,
the HP robotics team won the remainder of their pool-play matches and stormed from
12th to a 4th place finish. While they fell in the semifinals to the eventual champion of
the tournament, the team experienced an amazing day of highs and lows that one member
aptly summed up as “exhilarating”.
From the problem-solving genius of Michael Schoof and Leo Schwartz, to the meticulous
scouting by juniors Ben Johnston and Ryan Migalla, to the hard work and determination
of the entire team, the Thunderbots joined together to pull off a stunning performance on
one of competitive robotics‟ biggest stages.
back

Listening Lab
Pictured here are students at work in the listening lab at Highland Park High School. As a
part of their studies in World Language courses, students are
required to complete speaking and listening practice assignments
in the digital language lab. At the Board of Education
meeting on January 25, 2010, Ron Kasbohm, the Technology
Director for District 113 provided an update regarding his department.
Kasbohm spoke to five key areas in technology: 1)
networks and servers, 2) client systems, 3) student information
system, 4) website, 5) classroom technology. He utilized a Power
Point to communicate the information which is available on
the district website. Please view it to learn about the present
status of our technology as well as to understand future plans
regarding upgrades. Some of the purchases that impact classroom
instruction were funded with district monies, but others
were supported by donations from the HPHS PTO, the DHS PTO and the District 113
Foundation. District 113 appreciates the support of our school community and their dedication
to our students.
back
Senior Citizen Prom
The annual Senior Citizen Prom took place on April 17
at the Highland Park High School Student Cafeteria.
The theme was Moonlight over the Caribbean.
One hundred and five senior citizens living in the
community were treated to a free evening out which
included a dinner catered by Sunset Foods, slush
punch made by the HPHS Cooking Club, and homemade
desserts made by the Senior Citizen Prom
Committee and by the Freshman Board. The entertainment
for the evening was provided by HPHS students
including the Latin Dance Club, Collage and
three members of the Swing Choir. Jack Miuccio and his Dance Band played music by
famous artists including Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennet. The Senior Citizen Prom Committee
members and the Freshman Board members circulated among the guest tables
and danced with our visitors. It was a beautiful evening for everyone!
back

Wolter’s Field Turf
The Wolter‟s field turf project is a significant undertaking
for the summer of 2010. The field will be revitalized by
the installation of an artificial playing surface. The
base work has begun and is scheduled to be completed
in mid-July. The base work entails digging out the field
and installing a drainage system for the synthetic surface.
After the base work is completed, the actual surface
will be installed, with an estimated completion
date of August 15.
back
DHS Art Day
Sam Blinderman, an advanced ceramics student, from DHS
spends time on his craft while others have the opportunity to
watch. One day each year, the art classes move out of their
art studios and work on their projects in the main hallway
outside of the DHS auditorium. This public display of artists
at work creates interest and intrigue regarding the multifaceted
art program offered at DHS.
back

Snowball
Pictured here are students who chose to participate in Snowball,
an award-winning program in District 113. Cathy
Cratty, the Student Assistance Director at Deerfield
High School and the primary sponsor of District 113‟s
Snowball Program was recognized as Snowball Director
of the Year by Operation Snowball. In addition, District
113 Snowball received the Snowball Chapter of the Year
Award. Snowball Assistant Directors include Erica Nelson,
Joe Bucolo and Kim Zambole (Snowball I) and Maria
Jose Hernandez and Aliza Gilbert (Snowball II). Through
the development of leadership skills, Operation Snowball is a youth and adult partnership,
providing awareness and prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, while
encouraging healthy decision-making in an active community of caring. Over 175 District
113 students, faculty and staff participate annually in Snowball programs.
back
HPHS Capital Improvements
Highland Park High School students began the school
year and realized some significant capital improvements
were completed on their campus. This picture
shows the rebuilt and repaved main entrance and
parking lot just east of the building. In addition to
this new parking lot, HPHS celebrated the opening
of a new locker room, transportation storage and
concessions area at Wolter’s Field.
back

Finance Presentation
There was a finance presentation made by Barry
Bolek, Assistant Superintendent of Finance, to
the Board of Education on June 15, 2010. Expenditures,
revenues, budget data, tax levy
information and financial projections were all
elements that were explained thoroughly.
Maintaining the District’s finances is a primary
responsibility of the Board of Education and
District 113 administrators. Working closely
together, they strive to be stewards of the taxpayers’
money.
If a community member is unable to attend the District 113 Board of Education meetings,
but still very interested in Board business, they should know that the meetings are
videotaped. Meetings may be viewed directly from the District 113 website:
www.dist113.org
The videotape is generally available the day after the meeting. Every meeting includes reports
from the schools so that audience members may stay apprised of student and staff
accomplishments as well as program improvements and upcoming activities or performances
that are open to the public. Furthermore, the business of the Board includes review
of action and discussion items that relate to topics such as policy, programming and
finances. At times, special Board of Education retreats are scheduled, videotaped and
made available on the internet.
back