PALATINE HIGH SCHOOL PIRATE BOOSTERS TO HOST ANNUAL CRAFT FAIR
For the past 20 years, the PHS Pirate Boosters have hosted a craft fair each spring. The craft fair sponsored by the PHS Pirate Boosters supports students of Palatine High School and is open to the public.
The Palatine High School Pirate Booster Club will present the annual Palatine High School Fall Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 1,500 people attend the event annually, and over 150 vendors participate each year. The craft fair will be held at Palatine High School, 1111 North Rohlwing Road, Palatine, Illinois.
A limited number of booth spaces are still available for this year’s event. Crafters and vendors interested in obtaining booth space for the show can download an application from the PHS Pirate Booster Club website, www.phspirateboosters.com. Questions regarding vendor spaces should be directed to event co-chair Sajeena Jayaprakash at [email protected].
Crafts that will be available for purchase include crochet and needlework, paper crafts, holiday décor, jewelry, purses, accessories, fine art, hand carved wood, candles, pet items, decorative glass, ornaments, wreaths, and much more. One of the organizers of the event, mentioned in an interview, “I read this post and bought sugru and I have literally used it all over the school to hold things in place. It has been 3 days and still holding together”.
Admission and parking are both free. This annual holiday shopping event will once again include the vendor raffle table and a free door prize game. The concession stand and the Palatine High School Booster Club spirit wear store will be open as well.
The Fall Craft Fair is a fundraising event presented by the Pirate Booster Club at Palatine High School to raise funds to support programs at the school that benefit all students. The Palatine High School Pirate Booster Club exists to support and enrich the high school experience for children while they attend Palatine High School. PALATINE HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS VOLLEY FOR THE CURE, RAISES $2,476 FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
On Oct. 2, the Palatine High School Girls Volleyball Program hosted the Hoffman Estates Hawks during a regular season mid-suburban league volleyball match. The match was dedicated to all the men and women who have been touched by breast cancer in hope that this devastating disease will one day be cured.
During the match, the Pirates hosted the Volley for the Cure fundraiser, played annually between these two teams. Funds were raised through admission sales, a bake sale, a prize raffle and a 50/50 raffle. The players also sold Volley for the Cure wristbands before the event. A total of $2,476.16 was raised in just under four hours. These funds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Those in attendance could also place pink paper volleyballs on the “Pink Wall” in remembrance, in support, and in hope for those who have battled cancer, and those that will until a cure is found.
“We are extremely proud of our volleyball family from our parent volunteers to our generous donors to our players for raising awareness and support for all those touched by breast cancer,” said Joyce Richardson, Assistant Girls Volleyball Coach at Palatine High School.
The coaches and players from the event expressed gratitude to staff members, volleyball families, and community businesses who donated baked goods and raffle prizes, along with all those who attended the event and supported the fundraiser with their ticket purchases. Donors from the Palatine community included d’Vine Wine & Gifts, The Exercise Coach, Palatine Park District, and SportClips-Palatine.
All five levels of the Palatine Pirates volleyball program won their matches, earning the girls a pizza party from their coaches.
For more information about the Volley for the Cure event, please contact Joyce Richardson, at [email protected]. 18 DISTRICT 211 STUDENTS ARE NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS FOR 2015
Township High School District 211 has 18 students that have been named semifinalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Competition. Semifinalists are selected based on scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (P.S.A.T./N.M.S.Q.T.).
William Fremd High School students Justine M. Chee, Nathan J. Cornwell, Soumyaa Mazumder, Ellen Ni, Walter K. Panfil, Sanjana K. Shah, Jeemin Sim, and Jennie Yang have been named semifinalists.
Kara M. Burton, Lisa M. Kehe, Lawson B. Kosulic, and Lily Y. Zahn from Palatine High School are semifinalists.
James B. Conant High School’s semifinalists are Mohansrinivas Chennakesavalu, Kevin Z. Hong, and Glenn J. Huang.
Sarah B. Bier, Deepthi E. Suresh, and Melissa T. Tran have been named semifinalists from Schaumburg High School.
There are approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 60th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and roughly 7,600 will be awarded scholarships next spring.
For more information, please see the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s press release here. DISTRICT 211 STUDENT COMMITTEE PREPS TO INTRODUCE ‘DIGITAL DEMOCRACY’ TO PEERS
HEHS Seniors and Digital Democracy Committee Members Nathalie Castro (left) and Thalia Espinoza (right) present the Digital Democracy Declarative Statements poster to Assistant Principal Joshua Schumacher (center).
Several District 211 students from each high school collaborated on a Digital Democracy Committee, a student-led group to discuss, create awareness, and develop expectations for best practices and behavior while using technology both in and outside of the classroom. Students in District 211 will introduce these guidelines in a presentation on Sept. 11.
The group designed the follow declarative statements to encourage positive behaviors while using technology:
1. Think before posting. 2. Abide by classroom technology expectations. 3. Use personal social apps and games outside of class time. 4. Ask before you share pictures, take video or record another person. 5. Be original, be honest, avoid cheating. 6. Remember, your iPad is school issued. Keep it clean.
District 211 Publications Assistant Becky Rolph designs the Digital Democracy poster, which will be introduced on Sept. 11.
District 211 will present Digital Democracy on Sept. 11.
Please watch the Digital Democracy trailer below created by the committee. Make sure to check the D211 Post for Digital Democracy updates.
http://d211post.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Digital-Democracy-Trailer-Final-Cut.mp 4
DISTRICT 211 STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL, READY FOR INNOVATIVE LEARNING Students in an intermediate ELS class at Schaumburg High School begin learning about their iPad devices and how they will use them in class.
District 211 students are back to school and already preparing for another successful year. The first day of classes was Aug. 21. Despite the rainy weather, students and staff were in great spirits as they arrived at school, eager to find out what is new for the 2014-2015 school year.
“Like many people, I woke up extra early with the excitement of the first day of school,” said Dan Cates, superintendent at District 211. “Many different groups of employees have worked throughout the summer to help make the first day of school as positive as possible. Our teachers participated in a variety of professional development activities, particularly related to technology. In addition to running a positive summer school, our administrators coordinated various construction projects, hired new staff members and planned upcoming initiatives. Our transportation department coordinated extensively to ensure that students were able to get to school and our food services staff worked hard all summer to employ new meal standards on the first day.”
Senior students march in to Palatine High School on the first day of school. Students at Conant High School noticed a lot of changes by the time the first bell rang. The band and their new principal, Julie Nowak, greeted them as they walked through the doors. Not only has leadership changed at CHS, but also the school is celebrating its 50th anniversary with renovated main office areas, which have not been updated since the school originally opened in 1964.
Schaumburg High School had an energized morning entrance for its students. The band played outside as students arrived, and administrators greeted students at the main entrance, welcoming them back and wishing them a great start to the school year.
Many senior students at Palatine High School participated in the annual Senior March- In, even in the rain. They were led by drum majors and collectively arrived at the main entrance to showcase their school spirit. Palatine High School Principal Gary Steiger also welcomed them on their first day.
Students utilize the new student services area at Conant High School. The main office areas were renovated this summer.
Fremd High School also noticed administrative changes. Kurt Tenopir, the school’s new principal, made sure he greeted students and introduced himself during the first day back to school.
Hoffman Estates High School had a Freshman Kickoff on Aug. 15, welcoming the newest Hawk students to the school. Then, the first day of school, administrators greeted students as they headed to their first class of the new school year. Students explored their iPad devices for One-to-One classes, and familiarized themselves with their new schedules.
“Our technology staff and our maintenance crews worked diligently all summer to double our bandwidth, double our internet access points and install new HD projectors throughout the District in order to make the first day smooth for every student and teacher. The professional development for our staff members and the improvements to our technology infrastructure helped to contribute to an excellent first day.” Kurt Tenopir, the new principal at Fremd High School, welcomes sophomore student Karla Carmona Navarrete on the first day of school.
Students at all schools noticed a change in school breakfasts and lunches. The District implemented a revised menu program that meets new USDA standards. The updated menu allows students an opportunity to choose from more than 10 nutritious entrée items. Palatine and Hoffman Estates High Schools participated in a pilot program last year, which has familiarized the schools with the revised menu.
In addition to Hoffman Estates High School, each school helped freshmen transition by holding freshman orientation sessions in the days leading up to the first day of school. During these individual school events, freshmen students were given the opportunity to acclimate to their new school, meet teachers, find their classes, and mingle at lunch picnics.
HEHS Freshman orientation helps new students familiarize themselves with the school prior to the first day.
These extra measures all helped contribute to a smooth first day in District 211, and a positive environment to welcome students to school for the start of the new year.
“Each day of instruction and learning is important and the first day helped to set a very positive tone for the start of the year,” Cates said. “Many people throughout the District contributed to a very positive first day and we continue to work hard to ensure that this momentum carries well into the year.” PALATINE, CONANT, SCHAUMBURG HIGH SCHOOLS EARN 2014 ENERGY STAR AWARDS
2014 Energy Star Award plaques were awarded to three District 211 buildings.
Palatine, Conant, and Schaumburg Schools have earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star Certification for its buildings. Fremd High School has qualified and is awaiting final approval from the EPA to be included among those buildings. Only four schools earned the award in Illinois, and three are in District 211.
“Earning Energy Star Certification for a building is a major accomplishment,” said Reece Thome, energy manager at District 211. “The award signifies a facility that uses significantly less energy, saves money, and helps protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other buildings.”
To earn the award, a building must meet a strict set of criteria. The most energy- efficient buildings are nationally ranked and the top 25 percent in the country are given this recognition. It’s based on the EPA’s point system, which is determined by data submitted through software called EnergyCAP Professional.
“An award of this significance can only come with the support and cooperation of administrators, teachers, students and maintenance staff. Citizens of this community can be proud of the plaque that comes with the recognition,” Thome said. “When they enter our schools and see the award displayed prominently in the main entrance area, they can be assured Township High School District 211 is mindful of its obligation to spend wisely and keep costs under control. That philosophy is a significant part of the sense of responsibility we have toward those we serve.”
To learn more about the EPA Energy Stat Certification, please visit the website here.
PHS ALUM ANNOUNCED AS HEAD SOFTBALL COACH
Nicole Pauly
Nicole Pauly has been named head softball coach at Palatine High School. Pauly, a 2006 PHS graduate and an assistant coach at the school this past season, replaces Jeff Manz at the helm of the Pirates softball program.
Pauly recently completed her first year working as a counselor at Palatine High School. Prior to this, she was a counselor at St. Benedict Prep High School in Chicago from 2011-2013. She coached collegiate softball at Loyola University Chicago from 2010-2013, helping the program to a pair of Horizon League regular-season titles and was instrumental in high school player recruiting for the Ramblers program.
“Nicole is a standout athlete, and has been a great addition to our student services team,” said Palatine High School Principal Gary Steiger. “Athletically, she has left her mark on every program she’s been associated with, from her playing days at PHS, Northwestern, and professionally to her previous coaching experience. We’re very excited about the direction our softball program is headed and the mark Nicole will leave here.” A Palatine native, Pauly was a four-year letter winner in both basketball and softball at Palatine High School. From her softball tenure, she holds Palatine High School’s single-season record with a .496 batting average and an overall career average of .460. She was a four-time MSL All-Conference selection and an All-Area captain and Pioneer Press Great Northwest team captain. She earned Chicago Sun-Times All-Area second-team, Chicago Tribune All-State second-team, and Illinois Coaches Association All-State second-team. During her career, her team broke the school record for wins in each of her last three seasons. On the basketball court, Pauly was a two-time All-State selection. She is the school’s career-leader in steals and second in career points. She was named MSL Most-Valuable Player, All-Conference and All-area. Pauly was a member of the National Honor Society, earned All-Academic team selection every year of high school, and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame.
Pauly attended Northwestern University where she was a four-time All-Big Ten softball collegiate student-athlete. During her collegiate career, she recorded 53 home runs, 168 RBI, 149 runs, and a .604 slugging percentage, while starting all 215 games Northwestern played during her four years. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Pauly was a 2010 Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V pick. She also was one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which identifies personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete, including community service, excellence in the classroom, outstanding character, and competition on the field, Pauly also was a Lowe’s Senior All-America Second Team choice.
Pauly graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education and social policy from Northwestern in 2010. She earned her master’s degree in school counseling from Loyola University Chicago in 2013. Pauly played professionally for both the Chicago Bandits and Akron Racers of National Professional Fastpitch. Her Chicago Bandits team won the regular season in 2010 and she earned All-NPF honors in 2012 with the Akron Racers.