SAINTS’ HAPPENINGS PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

ST . CHARLES EAST HIGH SCHOOL

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SAINTS’ HAPPENINGS

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL

Last Tuesday night the St. Charles East Illinois Special Olympics (ISO) team took on the Varsity Boys Basketball

team. The gym was packed with hundreds of students, parents, teachers, and community members. The St. Charles East

ISO Team destroyed the Boys Varsity Basketball team 100‐40. I would like to thank the ISO team, Boys Basketball team,

band, cheerleaders, drill team, students, parents and staff who attended this event. The entire gym was in support of our

ISO team and the Boys Varsity Team did an excellent job playing the role of the Washington Generals (opponents of the

Globetrotters) throughout the game. This special night really reaffirmed my belief that St. Charles East has the best

students, staff and parents.

We have had two cold days and one snow day since the start of winter. These days have pushed back the

tentative last day of school to Thursday, June 4. Please make sure to put the new tentative last day in your calendars so

you can start scheduling your summer plans. I am using the word tentative because I am hoping that we will have no

more snow or cold days from here on out.

March will be a big testing month for our students. The juniors will be tested on Work Keys and the ACT on March 3

and 4. Algebra I and English 9 students will be tested on the new PARCC Assessment on March 9‐13. Algebra I and English

9 Students will have one test per day for a five day period. All other students will be in attendance and we will be running

a modified schedule for the ACT test and a regular schedule for the PARCC tests. More information on both tests is

included in the Principal’s Newsletter. Also, we are sending home a letter explaining the aforementioned testing in the

coming weeks. Please note that to accommodate the testing schedule, there will not be a Late Start on Wednesday,

March 4th.

Last weekend we had two sports teams head down to state competitions: Drill Team and Boys Bowling. Our Drill

Team finished 13th in state and our Boys Bowling Team finished 3rd in state. I included a picture of the 3rd place Bowling

Team on the cover of the Principal’s Newsletter. This marks the first time in our history that Boys Bowling placed in the

state series. Congratulations to our Drill Team and Boys Bowling Team for jobs well done! This weekend our

Cheerleaders are heading down to state for the fourth year in a row, and I wish the team and the coaches the best of luck.

The LRC has been doing some winter cleaning and found the oldest book in our collection, The Story of the Romans,

with a copyright date of 1896. I included a picture because I thought it was incredible that we have a book that is 119

years old in our library. Our new LRC Director Kai Rush and staff member Sarah Omi have created a historic section in the

LRC for all of the old books.

Lastly, we had a student, Ryan Stackhouse, who was selected to the 2014‐2015 Fox Valley Daily Herald Leadership

Team. He was selected by the Daily Herald due to his volunteerism and community service. Congratulations to Ryan

Stackhouse for excellence in volunteerism and community service!

Have a safe and successful February.

Charlie Kyle

Principal

Congratulations to Lynay Gutierrez for being selected Student of the Month in the Welding I program for the Month of Novem-ber, 2014! His instructor said that “Lynay Gutierrez has quietly become the points leader of the class in a very difficult first se-mester of Welding I.”

Congratulations to Zacharaih Kwasniwski for being selected Student of the Month in the Law Enforcement program for the month of November, 2014. Zac’s instructor said “Zac is an extremely hard worker that always puts his best foot forward.”

FOX VALLEY CAREER CENTER

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ATHLETICS

Winter Highlights

Boys bowling is having a historic season and finished their conference dual season with a record of 47‐1 and won the confer‐

ence championship.  In addi on, they set a state record of the highest team score ever bowled in a match with a score of 

3493 against DeKalb HS on December 9th.  They have already won their regional championship and took 3rd in state. Con‐

gratula ons to Coach Dessauer and our boys bowlers! 

 

Our boys basketball team is having one of its best seasons ever as well.  They have been ranked in the top 25 all year and 

recently won the DeKalb HS Chuck Dayton Holiday Tournament.  They currently have a record of 15‐2 and look to capture the 

conference  tle before heading into the state tournament.  Good luck to Coach Woods and the boys as they a empt to finish 

out one of the best seasons in school history! 

 

Girls Basketball currently has a record of 11‐7 and finished second in the Schaumburg Thanksgiving Tournament.  Girls bowl‐

ing looks to repeat as conference champions and recently swept St Charles North in their dual match on January 20th.  Boys 

Swimming had a rare  e with St Charles North, and Coach Cabel is ge ng  the team ready for the post‐season part of the 

schedule.  Our Cheer & Drill team are looking for return trips to the state finals as well.  The Cheer team recently placed 1st at 

the NIU Invite as overall grand champions.  Finally, Coach Po ers wrestlers are working hard as they gear up for the confer‐

ence and regional wrestling tournaments.  Good luck to all of our winter athletes! 

LRC INFORMATION

Though we can not tell when this book entered our library system, it shows a copyright of 1896. The book is called The Story Of The Romans. We are going to make a historic section in the library for these books. These books will be frag-ile, so please handle them with care.

During finals, the LRC offered a relaxation cafe filled with games, snacks, a comfortable place to study and National Honor Society tutors to help students during finals.

  Many students took advantage of the relaxation cafe, to learn, play and study. Thank you to all the student tutors that volunteered their time to help the students of St. Charles East High School. Together, we can help every student achieve success! 

 

Lets start of the second semester with new opportuni es: 

  

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LRC INFORMATION

During the holidays, the LRC was decorated to the theme of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. Our santa and reindeers are not from the north pole, but from the EAST pole. From our LRC staff to the community and parents, thank you for supporting our LRC, as we support the awe-some students and teachers of St. Charles East High School!

MATH

MathHelpThe math department has the following options available for students who would like extra help with their math skills outside of the classroom. Students should first contact their math teacher about receiving help outside of class time.

Math Resource Room (B205)

The Math Resource Room is staffed by a mathematics teacher and is available during the lunch periods 4, 5, 6, and 7. Students can stop in for help on math topics during their study hall. Students should get a pass from their math teacher and check in with their study hall teacher.

Peer Tutoring

The Math Honor Society offers peer tutoring every STCE morning (late start)intheLRCroomEandeve-

MathTeam

The math team meets in B126 after school on Mondays. Any interested student is invited to come by and check out how the team works. The team has competed in three meets so far this year.

MathHonorSociety

Members of Mu Alpha Theta continue to offer Peer Tutoring on Thursdays after school in B121 from 2:30-3:30pm and on late start Wednesdays from 7-8am in the LRC Room E.

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FINE ARTS

Students Par cipate in the Illinois All‐State Music Conference 

St. Charles East High School had eight students selected to par cipate in the Illinois Music Educators Associa on All‐State Confer‐ence which took place in Peoria from January 29th through the 31st. 

Senior bassist Peter Hatch, senior pianist Alex Murphy, and junior saxophonist Michael Carbonell were selected for jazz.  Junior violinist Carson Zhang was selected for orchestra, and saxophonist Jimmy Farace, euphonium player, Andy Heuser and oboist Tim Hommowun, all juniors, were selected to par cipate in concert band. This experience for these students concluded a four‐month process that began in early October with IMEA district‐level audi ons. The students then par cipated in district fes vals in mid‐ November where they rehearsed and performed with the top high school musicians from the west‐suburban area. These students were a small number that were then selected from the district groups to con nue on to the state level. At the All‐State Confer‐ence, they again audi oned for placement in the state‐level ensembles and rehearsed for two days with the best high school musi‐cians from the state under the direc on of top music educators and professional musicians. The conference culminated with per‐formances by these ensembles on Friday night and Saturday a ernoon. 

Senior violinist Olivia Sears was one of 54 students from the en re state to be selected through an extensive applica on process to par cipate in the Future Music Educator Symposium which occurs during the All‐State Conference. She a ended clinics and mas‐terclasses throughout the dura on of the conference that were designed for students who are planning on pursuing a college de‐gree in music educa on.  

Congratula ons to these eight students on their musical accomplishments! 

Music 

The St. Charles East High School Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at this year’s Illinois Music Educators Associa on All‐State Conference and presented an exci ng program of music by composers Jonathan Newman, Steven Bryant, Julie Giroux and John Mackey. Mr. Newman, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Mackey have all been guest conductors or composers‐in‐residence at St. Charles East High School and it was an honor to perform the music of all four of these composers at this pres gious event. Congratula ons to the students in this ensemble! 

Tuesday, March 3rd will be an exci ng night of orchestra and choir music on the Norris Cultural Arts Center stage. It will begin at 6:30pm with our Concert and Symphonic Orchestras performing a concert of pops music, including selec ons from Forrest Gump and Phantom of the Opera. At 7:30pm, the Chamber Orchestra and Chorale will take the stage to perform John Ru er’s Requiem. This performance con nues our music department’s commitment to providing our students opportuni es to perform expanded works for large ensembles that combine musical disciplines. 

The Jazz bands are looking forward to a concert on Tuesday, March 17th with one of the most inven ve and accomplished musi‐cians in jazz, trumpeter Dave Douglas. His unique contribu ons to improvised music have garnered dis nguished recogni on, in‐cluding a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award and two Grammy nomina ons. Douglas has developed his work for several unique ensembles with whom he’s currently ac ve, including his new quintet; Keystone, an electric sextet; and, Sound Prints, co‐led with saxophonist Joe Lovano.  

Since 2005, Douglas has operated his own record label, Greenleaf Music, releasing his own recordings as well as albums by other ar sts in the jazz idiom. Through his ar st‐friendly approach and innova ve prac ces, he con nues to prove himself a pioneer among ar st‐run labels. 

While at East, Dave will give master‐classes in trumpet and improvisa on as well as perform with the jazz bands. The concert on March 17th will begin at 7pm in the Norris Cultural Arts Center. 

Drama 

The Drama Department will present Pride and Prejudice on February 13th, 14th and 15th in the Norris Cultural Arts Center. Following these performances, the drama students will immediately have audi ons and begin rehearsals for this year’s spring musical, The Sound of Music, which will be presented April 25th, 26th and 27th. 

 

 

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FINE ARTS

Visual Art 

 

Art work made with coffee s r s cks in East's 3D media classes are now on display at the Starbucks in downtown St. Charles from now un l March.  Please take  me to enjoy a warm drink and dozens of one‐of‐a‐kind sculptures made by our students. 

 

 

Upcoming Fine Arts Events: 

February 13 & 14, Pride and Prejudice 

February 15, Pride and Prejudice (2:00 start) 

February 19, Freshman Concert Band Concert (7:00 start) 

February 23, Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble Concert 

February 24, Symphonic Band Concert 

March 3, Pops Orchestra Concert with Concert and Symphonic Orchestras (6:30 start) 

March 3, Chamber Orchestra and Chorale Concert (7:30 start) 

March 12, Choir Concert 

March 17, Jazz Band and Jazz Workshop Concert 

All concerts take place in the Norris Cultural Arts Center and begin at 7:30pm unless otherwise indicated. 

 

 

 

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COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

 

College and Career Readiness Office

With second semester beginning, the office is a buzz with activity! Be patient as counselors work through the scheduling process. It may take them longer to respond to an email or phone call. They will respond though!

As we prepare to see students for registration, please be aware of the following:

For 9th, 10th, and 11th graders, as you are choosing courses, select your courses carefully as these are the courses you will have next year.

The deadline to enter your courses in HAC is January 26, but when you meet with your counselor in the next few weeks, your counselor will talk with you and finalize those selections. (Remember: We encourage par-ents to attend these meetings!) Your classes don’t have to be finalized by January 26…but we need you to enter what you’re interested in taking. After you meet with your counselor, you will have “registered” for clas-ses. You will receive your registration appointment information the week prior to your meeting with your counselor.

Standardized Testing Information to Note:

The ACT Plus Writing and WorkKeys tests will be given (free) to all Juniors on March 3 and 4, 2015. You do not have to register for this test, but mark your calendar because it’s important that you are in attendance these days! All other grade levels (9, 10, & 12) will be in attendance too!

This year, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments will be administered in place of the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE). The PARCC assess-ment will measure student proficiency relative to the Common Core State Standards, which were adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2010. This March, all students enrolled in English 9 and Algebra I, regardless of grade level, will be taking the PARCC Performance-Based Assessment (PBA). In April, the

same group of students will be taking the PARCC End-of-Year Assessment (EOY). Students not testing on these days (i.e. all students not in English 9 and Algebra I) will attend their regularly scheduled clas-ses. The testing schedule and additional information will be communicated through our office, the office of the Principal, and the office of Instructional Programs in the weeks ahead. Wishing all of our students a great 2nd Semester! Make it your best!

 

 

 

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT MEANDERINGS

 

English 9 students had the opportunity to view Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet performed by A Crew of Patches in our very own Norris Cultural Center. Seeing a live performance brought the famous play to life, and many students appreciated Shakespeare's humor despite the play being a tragedy. What an awesome opportunity for students! 

The Wri ng Center celebrated significant growth and success over the course of 1st semester.  We opened up to all content areas, and our tutor and tutee numbers con nue to grow.  We look forward to more growth and more success next semester.  

The Scholas c Bowl Team, coached by Gary Burgener, is having a successful season.  The novice team took second place at Rockford Invita onal and qualified for a na onal tournament.  The varsity team has a win‐ning record, bea ng Geneva and St. Charles North.  The conference meet is February 14. 

Speech Team, coached by Court Burkhart and Stephanie Lally, is preparing for Regionals on February 7.  Four team members have won tournaments so far this season: Mutaz Abdin, Jody Holtz, Erin Newman, and Ankit Rastogi.  Aus n Born and John Born have been finalists as well. 

Debate Team had four members who have won top awards.  The State meet is February 21.  The team is coached by Gary Burgener and Kyle Libberton. 

The senior English course Fantasy & Science Fic on already had The Hobbit as part of its curriculum so a field trip to watch the movie the week it came out was a perfect fit.  Students enjoyed evalua ng Peter Jackson’s adapta on of Tolkien’s classic text. 

Several English classes were able to host members of the Saitama band from Japan.   

Pictured is Leslie Ladowski’s AP Language & Composi on class. 

 

 

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CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Family & Consumer Sciences 

Culinary Arts 

Culinary Arts students demonstrated their knowledge of quick breads by baking over 1,000 cookies for the Saints helping Santa 

Auc on and our friends visi ng from the Saitama Sakei Wind Orchestra. We welcomed the visi ng Japanese students into our culi‐

nary classes where they were able to get a first‐hand cultural experience learning and tas ng during our muffin lab. STCE student 

chef’s wrapped up first semester making a variety of soups which was a nice way to stay warm in this cold and snowy weather. As 

well as pu ng meal planning skills to use through an at home project which en tled the student chef to properly plan, prepare, 

and document their culinary skills through crea ng a full meal that their families got to sit down and enjoy the meal they prepared 

together.  

 

Students in Culinary Prac ces in Entrepreneurship take a break from service to complete their Culinary Prac cum Exam.  Each 

student had 35 minutes to complete and plate Sautéed Chicken with Tomatoes & Scallions and Rice Pilaf.  Students demonstrated 

culinary skills such as mincing, small dicing, dredging, deglazing, moun ng a sauce, and the pilaf method.  Students look forward to 

another exci ng semester where they will be producing a commercial, celebra ng Customer Apprecia on Week and looking to‐

wards their Restaurant Wars second semester final.   

 

 

Interior Design 

Interior Design students have been very busy working on their semester culmina ng project where they bring their design skills to 

life for a client. Each design student is able to create their own design inspira on board and present their ideas to the class using 

skills and techniques learned throughout the semester.   

 

Early Childhood Prac cum 

Students in Early Childhood Prac cum, our student run preschool, are trained and ready to welcome 16 preschoolers from the 

community.  The 13 week program will allow the high school students to rotate through planning lessons, teaching and observing 

children ages 3‐5. Welcome Li le Saints! 

 

FCCLA The members of FCCLA are working on their presenta ons and prac cing their skills for our upcoming Sec onal Compe on that 

will be held on February 6th at the College of DuPage. We will be compe ng against over 15 other high schools in a variety of 

events including: Pastry Arts, Professional Career Image, Apparel Construc on, Personal Child Care Provider, Early Childhood, Inte‐

rior Design, Life Event Planning, and Promo on and Publica on. 

 

 

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CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

BUSINESS EDUCATION  

D303 8th Graders Learn about Business Courses

In January, Business education teachers spent an evening meeting the class of 2019 at East’s Future Freshman night. It was a great opportunity to meet our future students and talk about courses that are available to incoming freshmen. Freshmen can take any of the following elective business education courses:

Accounting 1 and 2

Introduction to Business

Computer Applications

Multimedia

Web Page Design

Web Design Students Promote HOPE

Web Page Design students created a web page to promote the upcoming Hope Hustle 5K charity event. Hope club ad-visor Kari Batka visited the class and explained what the Hope Hustle was about and what information the web page needed to convey. Students then went to work developing a site for their real life client. Christina White’s site was selected to be the official site for 2015 Hope Hustle. You can visit her site by clicking on the Hope Hustle link on East’s homepage. Great job Christina!

 

East Virtual Enterprise (VEI) Firm takes 2nd place in Business Plan Competition

On Tuesday, December 9, St. Charles North hosted the Third Annual Illinois Business Plan Competition. St. Charles East Firm Clever Contraptions, Inc. won 2nd place among 21 Illinois firms. Congratulation to Clever Contraptions team of Lexy Kos, Mackenzie Kos, Madison Ryan, and Jason Turnbull. Congratulation also to Xtreme Comfort’s team of Cam Miller, Nicole Cannistra, Lily Kelly, Ryan Schreiner, and Billy Towne.

 

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VEI Students Land Sales Contract at Local Businesses

Before the holidays, VEI students went on site to two local business to make sales presentations and land virtual contracts with these real firms. The virtual proceeds from these sales will go towards VEI employee salaries for the year. We would like to thank St. Charles Businesses United Laboratories and Martopia for giving these stu-dents a great experience.

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

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PROJECT LEAD THE WAY

Project Lead the Way received a le er from the CEO of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. thanking the Engi‐neering Design and Development class for using their product to support experien al‐based engineering and design at EHS. 

Here are the students that par cipated: 

David Hardy, Steven Michelo , Rameez Biag, Jared Brown, and Adam Finke.  Missing:  Nathan Ioria  

VEI Firms Prepare for Trade Shows 

The virtual experience becomes “real” again in February and April when the VEI employees will a end Trade Shows in  

Chicago and San Diego. At the shows, students have an opportunity to meet employees from other virtual firms, net‐

work, and buy and sell products.  Addi onal, a endees will be compe ng in numerous business compe ons including 

trade booth design, catalog, brochure, business card, and sales presenta on. Good luck to East VEI students! 

 

DECA Heads to Sec onals 

January 27th, DECA club members competed at West Suburban DECA Sec onals.  East was represented by 28 students 

compe ng in 11 different events such as: Travel and Tourism, Business Finance, Sports and Entertainment Marke ng, 

and Hospitality Services. Students who place in the top ten of their event will advance to the State compe on. DECA 

prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marke ng, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and 

colleges around the globe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SkillsUSA Preps for Region Compe on 

On January 30, fourteen SkillsUSA members competed in SkillsUSA Region Compe on held at Technology Center of DuPage in Addison, IL.  East students performed tremendously in such compe ons as Job Interview, Job Skills Demon‐stra on, Crea ve Photography, Customer Service, Speech, and Promo onal Bulle n Board Design.  Good luck to SkillsUSA members as they prepare to move on to state compe on in April. 

 

 

 

TECH ED

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WOODS

Students in the Woods program were hard at work this fall and winter crea ng individual projects for the Annual Saints Helping 

Saints Auc on which was help on December 16th, 2014.  St. Charles East welcomed teachers, district administrators, community 

members and proud parents to this fes ve and charitable event.  Auc on items ranged from hand‐made cheese boards to intri‐

cate clocks and even a few toys.  Students proudly displayed their projects and all proceeds from the auc on are shared with fam‐

ilies in the community.  A special note from Mr. McCarthy: 

I would like to say a big "THANK  YOU" to all  the students, staff, D303 friends and parents who helped us raise $3,250.00 at the Saints Helping Saints 2014 Auc on.  All your generosity helped to make Christmas a li le brighter for the 45 children who re‐ceived Target gi  cards.  Your the best,  Mr. Jim McCarthy 

  

SOCIAL STUDIES Government For A Day 

The 47th edi on of Government For A Day, a student led city council simula on, was held on Monday, December 15, 2014 at St. Charles City Hall.  A er a semester of researching, planning and collabora ng, student led presenta ons were made on First Street Development, the Valley Shopping Center, Old St. Charles Mall, Charlestowne Mall, Fox‐field Theater, Pheasant Run and the “Ac ve River Project.”  The presenta ons focused on how best to use these are‐as in order to improve the St. Charles Community.  Following each presenta on, the proposals were voted on by the student led city government.  The following students served as Public Officials for Government For A Day:   Mayor:      Kris  Beltran Mayor Pro Tem:  Nick Fische  Parliamentarian:  Brynn Beveridge Aldermen:    Kyle Aguilar             Cathryn Augus ne       Ma  Baker       Maryn Cheney       Kevin Cuautle       Steven Michelo        Alex Murphy        

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Teacher Grants 

Each year our PTO sets aside funds to grant to our teachers to who have clearly iden fied a plan of how they would use the money to be er impact the learning of our students. This year we are pleased to announce the following grant distribu ons:  

 

Teacher      Group/Class        Purpose   Amount 

Mr. Glavan    Virtual Enterprise Interna onal      Travel expenses    $1000 

Mrs. Batka    Hustle for HOPE Fun Run      Running Timer      $500 

Mrs. Payleitner    Bridges  Coffee Shop      Keurig Coffee maker    $300 

 

ATTENTION SENIORS!  

The STCE PTO is offering four $1,000 awards. We are announcing our annual awards applica on for gradua ng seniors who plan to con nue their educa on at a university, junior college or voca onal school. If you are a senior and your family has paid their PTO dues as of November 1, 2014, be sure to apply. Applica ons will be available a er February 2nd, from Ms. Kobler in the Guidance Office or at East’s website h p://east.d303.org/pto. Applica ons must be postmarked on or before April 3, 2015. 

Prom is Saturday, May 2nd. The Post Prom theme is: 

Saints Below H2O. 

The Decora ons Commi ee needs help! Our Decora on Chair (Kris Brandt) has fabulous plans for POST PROM but needs “LEADERS” for the various themed sec ons. Kris will oversee the project by ordering, planning and giving direc ons, and then our leaders will be responsible for coordina ng and installing the decora ons for their area the day before prom, Friday, May 1st. Please volunteer to be a “Leader” or a helper. Many hands are needed. Contact Kris Brandt at jbrandt91@comcast.net  

Please friend us on FACEBOOK for up‐to‐date POST PROM info! @ StCharles East PTO. 

For general ques ons, contact Amy Dillenburg, Post Prom Chair at  

amyjean1104@gmail.com or 630‐309‐4367 

We love our teachers!  

The PTO treated our teachers to homemade Christmas cookies prior to Winter Break. Then provided yummy muffins on grading day in January! Thanks to all who donated their  me and baking skills. 

Senior Signs 

We lost our sponsor for the senior signs this year. If your family or business would like to sponsor the cost of this great tradi on, please contact Laura Kennedy at laurakenndey@sbcglobal.net. 

 

PTO

HOPE

Sign‐up for the HOPE Hustle‐ a 5K race/fun‐run around East’s campus on March 21st.  This upli ing event is a 

great way to hang out with friends and family, get moving around the school, and raise money for our East com‐

munity!  Please visit to the East High School homepage and click on the link near the HOPE HUSTLE logo to regis‐

ter!  HOPE to see you there!! J

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