The Messenger - Mundelein High School

Mundelein High School District 120
2015 Spring/Summer Magazine
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Website: www.d120.org
Superintendent’s Message …
The Year
In Review
Dr. Kevin Myers, Superintendent
As the school year comes to a close, it offers opportunities to look forward to the next year
but it also provides a time to reflect on the past year and our accomplishments.
First, I’d like to congratulate the Class of 2015. They have had many group and individual
successes and we wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives. We also
welcome new leadership to our Board of Education. Jane Siegal has been elected to the
Board and we congratulate Joanne Anderson and Al Hitzke on their re-elections. A special
thank you goes to Karen Havlik for her many years of service. She has had a strong, positive
effect on many of the good things happening in the District. We wish you well, Karen.
The past year has seen a number of successes and we anticipate many more in the near
future:
Student Achievement and Success





Instituted our 1:1 computing initiative and Technical Support Internship [TSI] with relative ease
Increased test scores in almost all areas of evaluation
Added new course offerings in several departments
Increased the number of students taking Honors and Advanced Placement courses
Provided a number of student internships and career cell presentations
Budget and Fiscal Management


Earned a credit rating of AA+ by Standard and Poors
Increased the District’s operating fund balance
School Climate and Culture



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Greatly increased communication through social media with Facebook and Twitter sites
Increased Latino parent involvement through Universidad de Padres
Held a community engagement meeting and set timely goals based on the feedback
Worked closely with Mundelein Village leadership to increase communication
Facilities


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2
Completed the planning and bidding for the new addition construction
Developed a plan for the construction to take place with minimal disruption
Held public meetings to inform the public about the construction process
The Messenger
Mundelein High School District 120 Magazine - Spring/Summer 2015
What’s Inside
Breaking Ground for New Building Addition
4
New School Resource Officer [SRO]
6
MHS Partnerships
7
New Courses/Summer at MHS
8
Class of 2015 Honors and Awards
10
In the News ...
12
2015—2016 School Calendar
15
On the Cover:
Excited about their upcoming graduation, Mason
Homsey, Heather Pechtl and Malik Doby share a
moment together. [Cover Photo by Kathryn Serby]
3
New Beginnings
Groundbreaking signals new learning styles
With the breaking of ground for the new three-story addition, students and staff
are looking forward to new opportunities for learning that are just around the
corner. When the new addition is complete, a new wave of learning will be underway. STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] instruction
will be in full force with the facilities to back up that learning. State-of-the-art
equipment will be in place along with specially trained teachers to lead MHS students in 21st century learning.
“We’re so excited to see our long-range goals becoming a reality,” said Stacey
Gorman, director of curriculum/instruction. “The new facilities will help us provide top-notch education through Project Lead the Way [PLTW] while we continue to expand and strengthen our Advanced
The new facilities will Placement [AP] and Honors courses,” Gorman explained. PLTW is the nation’s leadhelp us provide toping provider of STEM programs. Through
notch education … while its world-class K-12 curriculum, highwe continue to expand quality teacher professional development
and strengthen our AP and outstanding partnerships, PLTW helps
students develop the skills needed to sucand Honors courses.
ceed in the global
economy.
Superintendent Kevin Myers is pleased
that this project is getting underway. “We
are building this addition, in part, because of a state funding grant that was originally applied for in 2003,” he said. “By breaking ground, we are about to see the
vision of previous administrations becoming reality. These are exciting times for
Mundelein High School District 120.”
—Stacey Gorman
Board of Education
Joanne Anderson, President
Al Hitzke, Vice President
Tami Forman, Secretary
Patrick Browne, Paul Lohr,
Laura Mellon, Jane Siegal
Administration
Kevin Myers, Ph.D.
Superintendent
C. Andrew Searle
Business Manager
Anthony Kroll, Ed.D.
Principal
James Ongtengco
Assistant Principal
Tom Buenik
Director, Guidance
Steve Castle
Director, Special Education
Daniel Crowe
Director, Technology
Stacey Gorman
Director, Curriculum/Instruction
Perry Wilhelm
Director, Athletics
Jessica Upchurch
Assistant Director, Athletics
Ron Girard, Ph.D.
Public Information Officer; Editor
4
Side view of new 25-classroom addition. [Artist rendering provided by
Legat Architects]
New Beginnings
STEM Lab to be available in the Fall of 2016. [Artist rendering provided by Legat Architects]
New facilities to be available beginning in 2016-2017
What to expect
during the
construction year:
Board of Education members celebrate the start of construction. Tami Forman, secretary; Joanne Anderson, president; Paul Lohr, Laura Mellon, Jane
Siegal. Not present: Patrick Browne, Al Hitzke, vice president.

Several classes in rooms near the
new entrance will be relocated

Several offices near the new entrance will be relocated

Travel within the B-Wing will be
segmented which may cause
slightly longer travel times

District offices will temporarily be
offsite to accommodate offices
moved from the B-Wing. Off-Site
offices will include Superintendent, Business Manager, Business
Office Staff and Public Information.

Routine school business should
not be affected
5
Changing of the Guard
Ruffolo appointed School Resource Officer
Officer Sarah Ruffolo will take over the position of School
Resource Officer [SRO] next year as Officer Brian Kisselburg has been promoted to Sergeant and assigned to new
duties. Ruffolohas been with the Mundelein Police Department for three years. She has co-taught both the
Citizens and Senior Citizens academies and she has also co
-taught the Women’s Self Defense courses since February
2014. She will graduate with a masters degree in business administration management in June. Prior to her
joining the PD, Ruffolo was a job coach in the special education department at Glenbard North High School for two
years.
Kisselburg is glad to see a successor named for his position, as he views having an SRO critical to a school environment. “One important advantage of having an SRO is
that it fosters a positive relationship between the officer
and the students along with their parents,” Kisselburg
explained. “An SRO helps develop and foster good relationships with students and their parents who are residents of the community,” Ruffolo said. “It helps to break
down the misconception that officers only write tickets
and arrest people; we are there to aid and be part of the
community.”
“We are fortunate to have an
He went on to exofficer in the building at all
plain that Mundelein
times and we have an excelHigh School strives
lent working relationship
to provide a safe
with the Mundelein PD. This
learning environhelps to keep our students
ment for its stuand staff safe.”
dents. The school
resource officer
—Dr. Anthony Kroll, Principal
works together with
the deans, administrators, teachers and staff to make
sure that MHS is a safe place for students to learn.
6
“This position will give me the opportunity to use my past
experience to better serve the community,” Ruffolo explained. Not only is she a patrol officer, but she is an instructor for the several groups already mentioned. She
understands the classroom situation as both a student
and a teacher. In addition, her experience at Glenbard
North High School means she is already familiar with how
high schools operate. She definitely has a “lead” on the
Officer Brian Kisselburg welcomes his replacement,
Officer Sarah Ruffolo as School Resource Officer.
SRO position which she will begin when school resumes
in August.
“My time as the SRO at MHS was an eye-opening experience,” Kisselburg said. “I had the opportunity to meet
numerous students and to talk to them in-depth about a
variety of situations they are going through. After hearing their stories it is clear to me that what teenagers are
going through now is a lot different from when I was a
teenager,” he said. “I have a better understanding of
their thought process and the understanding that many
times their decisions are a result of their environmental
influences.”
“We appreciate all the work that Officer Kisselburg has
done during his time as our SRO. We welcome Officer
Ruffolo and look forward to working with her,” said MHS
Principal Anthony Kroll. “We are fortunate to have an
officer in the building at all times and have an excellent
working relationship with the Mundelein PD. This helps
to keep our students and staff safe,” he said.
Forming Partnerships
Working with others to benefit students
Mundelein High School provides students with a number
of ways to prepare for their lives after high school. Partnerships with many different people and agencies give
students knowledge and experience in making career
decisions.
Instituted just this year, the Technology Support Internship [TSI] is a direct result of the new 1:1 computing initiative instituted this year. In TSI, students have a “handson” experience in customer service including troubleshooting, repairs on Chromebooks, classroom and other
technical problems, and using professional data tracking
software. It is a realistic experience for students considering technology as a career.
MHS students also have access to the Lake County High
Schools Technology Campus in Grayslake where they can
study in a number of areas to prepare them for careers.
From Graphic Web Design to Certified Nurse Assisting;
from Criminal Justice to Automotive Service, the Tech
Campus provides career alternatives for students. Pro-
Partnerships in Education:

Lake County Technology Campus

Mustang DOORS

Career Cells

Project Lead the Way

Local Business Professionals
Students learn about electron microscoping from professionals
at Medline Laboratories in Mundelein.
DOORS also has students engaged in internships and mentoring, most recently in fitness, jewelry, accounting and
others.
Once the new building addition is open, students will be
working in STEM labs and they will be developing business
incubation labs [ a business support process that accelerates the successful development of start-up and fledgling
companies as part of PLTW learning]. Research shows that
available careers skyrocket with this type of instruction.
Through all these connections, Mundelein High School are
exposed to numerous career fields and learn from those
currently in the fields about their work and how to prepare for it.
“Dream Team” develops skills
ject Lead the Way [PLTW] specialized courses are also
available in engineering, architecture and computer integrated manufacturing areas. About 100 MHS students
attend the Tech Campus classes each year.
Mustang DOORS [Doors of Opportunity Relevant to Students] partners with area professionals to give students
first-hand connections to future careers. Just this year,
students were able to interact with journalists, health
professionals, a major auto maker, artists, medical personnel and during Black History Month, six successful
Black professionals from varied careers.
About 20 students in the Future Business Leaders of
America [FBLA] Club have formed a group which they
have affectionately named “The Dream Team.” Under the
leadership of two local businessmen who are parents of
MHS students, the group is learning about marketing,
branding and public relations as they promote MHS
through print and video. Mario Feijoo and Rob Job are
guiding the students through these lessons in business
and first-hand entrepreneurship .
7
Curriculum Offerings
Courses to meet everyone’s needs
The MHS curriculum is continually being evaluated and modified to meet the needs of all levels
of students. With the construction of a new
building addition that will feature STEM labs and
Project Lead the Way [PLTW] instruction, the
Science Department has added a new course for
2015-2016, STEM Inquiry and Research. The
course will expose all students to research in
STEM. It will be a lab intensive course designed
to develop research questioning and laboratory
techniques.
“We are piloting our introductory research
course next year,” said Dr. David Greenwood,
science department chair. “Students will learn
about research protocols like how to refine a
research question, design an experiment and record observations,” he explained.
New course offerings beginning
in August 2015

Civil Engineering and Architecture

Computer Integrated Manufacturing

Foundations of Health

Wellness Leadership and Training

Honors Algebra 2/Trigonometry

Honors Geometry

Probability and Statistics

Introduction to STEM Inquiry Research
Other new courses include Civil Engineering and Architecture, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Foundations of
Health, Wellness Leadership and Training, Honors Algebra 2/
Trigonometry, Honors Geometry and a change from Modified Statistics to Probability and Statistics.
With the addition of the two Honors math courses mentioned above, a total of 15 Honors courses are now offered
with more in the works for the future. At the same time, the
8
Students routinely work on their Chromebooks during their
free time. It offers a whole new way of handling schoolwork.
number of Advanced Placement [AP] courses has now
grown to 23. Students looking for rigorous, challenging
college-prep courses have a large cross-section of courses
to choose from
Other ways to meet students’ needs include the 1:1 computing initiative, and the AVID and RtI Programs. With
every student having a Chromebook to use at school and
at home, new ways of learning are now available. AVID
includes a group of students who study with the same
teachers throughout their four years and work on skills
that prepare them for the rigors of college work. Through
Response to In1:1 Computing Initiative
tervention [RtI]
A Chomebook for every student
students who
struggle academAVID
ically and/or
Working with the same instructors
socially receive
for four years, helping prepare stuindividualized
instruction for 30 dents for the rigors of college
minutes each
RtI
day in the MusIndividualized instruction for students
tang Learning
who may be struggling
Center.
Summertime at MHS
Opportunities for summer learning
While some students spend their summer working or having
a good time at the beach, others use the summer to increase
their learning and complete their summer reading assignment. Mundelein High School offers many opportunities for
learning. In addition, MHS is hosting some STEM learning
courses for elementary and middle school students. There
are plenty of alternatives to choose from.
Summer School Course Offerings:
Session 1—June 3 to June 26; 8 to 11 am
Algebra 1 [Term 1] for Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Geometry [Term 1] for Grades 11, 12
American Government/Politics, Grades 11, 12
ACT Preparation, Grades 10, 11, 12
Economics, Grades 11, 12
Spanish Refresher, Grade 9
GradPoint, Grades 10, 11, 12
Physical Education for credit recovery, Grades 10, 11, 12
Driver’s Education/Behind the Wheel
Session 2—July 6 to July 29, 8 to 11 am
For Middle School Grades 6—8 ...
STEM summer camps
MHS is proud to highlight its first annual STEM Summer
Camp. This exciting program introduces young students
to hands-on science for up to three weeks of flexible
STEM [science, technology, engineering, math] learning
with a variety of activities offered each week. Students
can choose up to six different sessions or participate in
just one session in one specific week.
Some possible activities include building a small-sized
catapult … learning how to make soap and body lotion...creating a structure from spaghetti...preparing rock
crystals or candy...solving a crime using chemistry.. MHS
wants to show middle school students that STEM isn’t
just about studying from textbooks and taking tests … it’s
also about experiencing and exploring.
Summer STEM courses:
Algebra 1 [Term 2], Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Geometry [Term 2], Grades 11, 12
STEM 101
ACT Prep, Grades 10, 11, 12
Candy Making 101
Spanish Refresher, Grade 9
The Beauty of Science
GradPoint, Grades 10, 11, 12
Driver’s Education/Behind the Wheel
Crystalized
Organism Detective
AP Bootcamp: July 20 to July 24 [5 days, 2 hours per day]
This is a FREE seminar designed to introduce students new to
the Advanced Placement program to skills and strategies for
success in an AP course. Activities will be focused on
strengthening academic foundations and refining advanced
learning skills like note taking and study habits. Students are
informed of their class time by the end of May.
Summer Reading:
Rockets and Flight
Spaghetti Tower Structure
CSI Mundelein
Storm the Castle
Myth Busters
Students read a book of their choice during the summer and prepare to share and dis-
cuss the text with their peers during a one-day Book Talk celebration at the beginning of the school year.
9
Student Success
Honors/Awards for the Class of 2015
The MHS Class of 2015 earned a number of honors
and awards along with millions of dollars in scholarships as they gathered for a ceremony just for them
on May 12. The class earned the following:
Danielle Schmidt
2015 Valedictorian
National Merit Commended Students: Kelsey Loar, Sydney Salit
National Merit Scholarship Winners: Stephen Ferro,
Raphael Rouvinov
Academic Achievement
Scholarship: Stephen Ferro,
Danielle Schmidt, Sydney
Salit, Brian Walters, Lauren
Blake, Heather Pechtl, Jason
White, Maria Gryparis, Scarlett Davalos, Daniel Lorant.
Honorable Mention: Paige
Falato, Elizabeth Morales,
Vanessa Aguilera, Melanie
Hernandez.
Presidential Award for Academic Achievement: Jessica
Angeles, Morgan Gryn, Albert Lee, Genesis Vazquez
Faye Family Eagle Scout
Scholarship: Stephen Ferro
Illinois Science Teachers Association Award: Alec
Biesterfeld
Mundelein Automotive Scholarship for the Trades:
Mitchell Prochnow
MHS Orchesis Scholarship: Kelsey Toland
MHS After School Coalition Award: Judy Gil
Outstanding Business Education Award: Scott Falato
Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics Award:
Raphael Rouvinov
Evan Miles Kraus Fun and Friendly Scholarship: Noah
Ballek
Excellence in Social Studies
Award: Danielle Feijoo
Life Source/MHS Wellness Scholarship: Christian
Kaider, Kelsey Toland, Katie Stanczykiewicz
Excellence in World Languages Awards: Chinese—
Halee Johnson, Spanish—Alec
Biesterfeld, French—Oana
Bratian, Spanish for Heritage
Learners—Jazmin Marcos
Mundelein/Vernon Hills Rotary Club Scholarships:
Smith-Hughes Scholarship: Whitney Kavanaugh, Natalie Lawrence, Joshua Pataky. Wayne Bottoni Scholarship—Elizabeth Bahena, Katherine Finerty. Debbie
Allen Scholarship—Daniel Hernandez, Ana Velasquez
National Merit Scholarship Winners: Stephen Ferro,
Raphael Rouvinov
MacLean-Fogg Scholarship: Evan Butler
MEA-Joseph P. Arrigo Teacher Education Scholarship:
Jacqueline Shannon, Kelsey Toland
Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship: Daniella
Feijoo
Consumer Cooperative Credit Union: Katie Finerty
Daughters/Sons of the American Revolution Good
Citizenship Award: Heather Pechtl
Quill and Scroll Award for
Excellence in Yearbook and
Newspaper Journalism
Stephen Ferro
Award: Natalie Stuckslager, co
2015 Salutatorian
-editor-in-chief, yearbook;
Allison Perry, co-editor-inchief, yearbook; Caitlin Ryan, editor, yearbook; Anna
Story, editor, yearbook; Michaela Jacob, editor, newspaper
Distinguished Achievement in English Award: Elizabeth
Bahena, Lyliana Chavez, Sucely Garcia, Mason Homsey,
Kelsey Loar, Ryan Schwaar, Maya St. Clair
Century 21 Scholarship: Heather Pechtl
ELL/Bilingual Department Academic Achievement
Award: Olga Guzman
College of Lake County Pathways to Success
Scholarship: Jahaira Bustos
ELL/Bilingual Department Perseverance Award: Belen
Moreno Navarro
United States Military Enlistments: Marines—
Alejandro Bolivar, Brendan Mooney, Leo Copado,
Oleksandr Maliuta. Coast Guard— Jeremy Westgate,
Army—Denorsia Baptist-Webb, Jon Cross, Brae Cruz
Marine Distinguished Athlete Award: Jeremy Westgate,
Madeline Zazas
10
Army National Scholar Athlete Award: Kelsey Toland
Athletics/Academics Award: Jason White, Lauren Blake
Student Success
Honors/Awards for the Class of 2015
Most Valuable Senior Athletes Award: Bryce Richards, Maggie Mahar, Maria DeVito
Outstanding Senior Athletes: Erin Falconer, Jennifer
Kordik, Rachel Robb, Mckenzie Kehr, Aijan Urmat, Lauren Blake, Bryce Richards
Cum Laude Graduates: Vanessa Aguilera, Jesus Alba
Estrada, Aaron Banez, Nicolette Bautista, Patrick Betti,
Darlice Bouzi, Christopher Brokamp, Natalie Busscher,
Jessica Carrasco, Jimena Cervantes Tovar, Min Chen,
Victoria Corrado, Marie Duffin, Madison Feigen,
Amanda Fischer, Hannah Gustafson, Jesus Guzman,
Leslie Guzman, Jeremy Hirschman, Keara Hurley, Holly
Kell, Alec Kendall, Jonathan Koenemann, Christopher
Kosmach, Albert Lee, Nora Marciniak, Emma Melledy,
Ashley Parola, Gillian Quint, Marissa Rehor, Whitney
Reiske, Erin Smith, Hannah Teegen Dominique
Traveseras Shutan, Ana Velazquez
Magna Cum Laude Graduates: Christopher Adams,
Mariah Cabrera, Megan Carroll, Anna Davenport, Weston Farmer, Kelly Geary, Meggy Huynh, Kyle Kalish,
Ariana Kraft, Jillian McMahan, Carter Naughton, Austin
Newmann, Nicole Ornoff, Heidy Pedroza, Hector Ruiz
Estrada, Destiny Sanchez, Karil Siron, Katherine Updegraff, Patrick Wilkosz, Elizabeth Wingender, Emilee
Woodbury, Madeline Zazas
Summa Cum Laude Graduates: Shannon Allen, Melanie Arnago, Elizabeth Balogh, Megan Bauer, Margaret
Bellinder, Lacey Benedeck, Alec Biesterfeld, Lauren
Blake, Aimee Borgelt, Oana Bratain, Nicholas Brune,
Hannah Bulgart, Evan Butler, Min Chen, Michele
Chernesky, Christian Cygnus, Justin Daoey, Scarlett
Davalos, Rachel David, Kayla Denson, Frank Desmon,
Maria DeVito, Robert DuPont, Joneil Escobar, Alexander Espinosa, Lauren Ewing, Paige Falato, Erin Falconer, Danielle Feijoo, Justin Fernandez, Stephen Ferro,
Katherine Finerty, James Franzen, Kayla Fritz, Emily
Gathercoal, Judith Gil, Nicole Godellas, Maria Gryparis, Nicolas Halbur, Nicole Hansen, Michael Heiberger,
Nathaniel Hessevick, Erin Hoffman, Mason Homsey,
Michaela Jacob, Kyle Job, Yasmeen Johnson, Alexander Kazmer, Mckenzie Kehr, Eugene Kim, Emily Kirkpatrick, Elise Kjeldbjerg, Hannah Koehler, Natalie
Lawrence, Jeffrey Lee, Chloe Lemerand, Kelsey Loar,
Daniel Lorant, Elijah Losoff, Margaret Mahar, Jazmin
Marcos, Kevin Marcotte, Jace Mattson, Michelle
Mavlyanova, Ann Michalski, Saadan Mir, Brianna
Moehling, Elizabeth Morales Lopez, Kyra Nakagi, Trina Neukam, Emily Nieckula, Alexandra Nolte, Ann
Odaini, Samuel Osisek, Joshua Pataky, Heather
Pechtl, Holly Petlak, Nannette Pini, Sophia Presutti,
Kevin Rieck, Michael Rizzo, Rachel Robb, Caroline
Rodriguez, Jeffrey Rossback, Raphael Rouvinov, Sari
Sachnoff, Sydney Salit, Emily Samson, Danielle
Schmidt, Jessica Schultz, Ryan Schwaar, Jacqueline
Shannon, Maya St. Clair, Kathleen Stanczykiewicz,
Anna Story, Michelle Swiatkiewicz, Puja Tailor, Kelsey
Toland, Tyler Triebold, Matthew Turner, Aijan Urmat,
Danica Vendiola, Michael Ventrella, Marie Volpe,
Stephen Wald, Brian Walters, Jason White, Annelise
Will, Casimir Zientko.
11
In The News
Six staff members retire from MHS
Six members of the MHS staff retired during
the 2014-2015 school year. Together, they
have served MHS for exactly 100 years! Many
thanks for their outstanding service to the
District! The retirees, Rows 1 and 2 are:

Steve Castle, director of special education

Ann Haren, special education

Brian Leary, security

Dianna Parro-Napolski, special education

Sheila Ryndak, librarian

Dan Szymkowiak, math
2009 Alum writes for TV shows in Hollywood
their production assistant.
“While I was a writer’s assistant I worked closely
with two writers who were later hired by Steven
Spielberg to be the show-runners of Extant, a
CBS show that Spielberg is executive producing,
she explained. She was offered a job there in
January and began working at Paramount Studios as a post production assistant for Extant. This
is a Sci-Fi show starring Halle Berry.
Mary Lentz, a 2009 MHS graduate, is fulfilling a
dream working as a professional writer. And to
make it even more exciting, she is doing that in
television land, Hollywood CA.
12
After graduating from the University of Missouri—Kansas City she moved to Los Angeles
and applied to countless companies, shows and
studios. In March 2014 she landed a job as a
writers production assistant for the show Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. The last episode of
the season aired February 24. Mid-season for
the show, she transferred to post production as
“The days are long and there isn’t much room
for a social life, but it’s an incredible opportunity
and I pinch myself daily,” she said.
While at MHS Lentz was a member of the yearbook staff all four of her years and served as editor-in-chief her junior and senior years working
with advisors Diane Covert and Ron Girard respectively.
“Looking back I remember being an MHS student
and had no idea where life would take me,” she
said. “Being a mid-western girl it was hard to see
life beyond Mundelein, but taking the risk and
moving to LA was the best risk I’ve taken,” she
concluded.
In The News
Board of Education reconfigured after election
Following the April 7 election, newly-elected member Jane Siegal was seated and officers were elected. Siegal replaced Karen Havlik who did not run for
re-election while Joanne Anderson and Al Hitzke
were re-elected.
The new Board of Education then voted to elect
officers for the next year’s session. The officers are
President Joanne Anderson, Vice President Al Hitzke, Secretary Tami Forman. The Board is completed
by Patrick Browne, Paul Lohr, Laura Mellon and Jane
Siegal.
The new Board began conducting business April 29.
Front: Tami Forman, Joanne Anderson, Al Hitzke. Back:
Laura Mellon, Paul Lohr, Patrick Browne, Jane Siegal
‘06 Grad now at Stanford
Oliwia Zurek ‘06 became a United States citizen Sept. 6, 2012.
Four days later, she was on her
way to Washington DC, where
she met with members of the
US Senate and House of Representatives. She was there to
advocate for the preservation
of funding that helps support
scientific research in the biomedical field. Zurek’s research
is focused on MRSA, a type of drug-resistant staph that
causes infections ranging from mild skin abscesses to necrotizing pneumonia and sepsis in both healthy people
and those with potentially weakened immune systems.
Zurek recently earned her PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Montana State University. During her
time there she published two articles and co-authored five
additional papers on bacterial infections. She is now moving on to a post-doctoral position at Stanford University.
“I started out at MHS as an ESL student (from Poland) with
no English. The ESL program and counseling played a very
important role in my early education,” Zurek said.
“Furthermore, I will be forever thankful to MHS faculty
and staff who welcomed me to the community, embraced
my imperfect English and sparked my initial interest in the
sciences,” she concluded.
MHS grads named U of I
Student Leaders
Two MHS graduates, Claire Bilski ’11 and
Daniel Szoke ’13 were among 17 students named Student Leaders in the
Psychology Program at the University of
Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. The Department of Psychology formed a Student
Leader Program at the beginning of the
2014 fall semester. Undergraduates
selected to participate in this program
will work with the department in a variety of areas including fundraising, outreach, and
philanthropy. This is a great way to gain marketable
skills, get involved with the department and the
Psychology Alumni Advisory Board, and give back to
other students and the local community!
Psychology Student Leaders are expected to attend
monthly meetings, participate in a required number
of departmental activities each academic year, and
take part in both fall and spring service projects.
Continued membership is contingent upon satisfactory performance.
“The fact that we had two of our own chosen as
Psychology Student Leaders is a testament to our
successes here as an institution,” said Dean Petros,
MHS psychology instructor.
13
Student Spotlight
Diller Teen Fellow, Daniel Balogh, spends Winter Break in Israel
MHS senior, Daniel Balogh, didn’t have the usual
type of Winter Break that most students have. Instead, he spent the two weeks in Israel learning
about Jewish culture, sharing time with 440 other
teens from around the world and being immersed in
an intensive leadership program.
Sponsored by the Jewish United Fund, the program
is referred to as Diller Teen Fellows. It is a 15month program that promotes strong leadership
and volunteerism. The culmination of the program
is a two-week trip to Israel. Normally the trip is
made in the summer months, but this past year
there was increased tension in that area of the
world and the trip was postponed to winter break.
The program pairs 20 students from 11 cities in the
US, Canada and South Africa with 20 students from
Israel. They stay at each other’s homes while they
are visiting the other country. The Israelis came to
the Chicago area during Spring Break.
Balogh explained that the students took part in a
number of formal and informal activities while they
were in Israel.
“We volunteered teaching English to elementary
school students which was a learning experience for
Daniel provided a Mustang shirt for Yair and
Nadov, two Israeli students who stayed with him
in Mundelein.
14
The Chicago group is full of excitement as they prepare for their
time in Israel.
us as much as it was for the kids,” Balogh said. “We also toured
the Wall between Israel
and Gaza and helped to “It was a chance to…
decorate the Wall with
 Learn about other
the slogan Pats for
Peace.”
cultures
A couple other high
lights for Balogh includ
ed visiting a mall with
his host family and praying with people who

come from many different sects of the Jewish
faith.
Help support Israel
Meet new, interesting
people
Create a global connection
to further Judaism”
Balogh felt privileged to
be part of the first Chicago contingency to take part in this exchange. “Id encourage others to consider this experience. It’s a
great way to meet other people who have similar religious interests and it creates a global connection to further Judaism. I especially enjoyed working with so many interesting people from all
across the world,” he explained.
His final thought about the trip: “The food in Israel tastes way
better than here!!”
Upcoming Events
Mon., Tues., Aug. 10/11
Tues., Aug. 11
Wed., Aug. 12
Wed., Aug. 19
Mon., Sept. 7
Fri., Sept. 11
Wed., Sept. 16
Wed., Sept. 23
Tues., Oct. 6
Mon., Oct. 12
Thurs., Fri., Oct. 15/16
Mon., Oct. 19
Tues., Nov. 17
Wed., Nov. 25
Thurs., Nov. 26/27
Wed., Dec. 16
Thurs., Fri., Dec. 17/18
NO SCHOOL—Institute Day
Link Crew/Freshman Orientation
First day for all students
Open House
NO SCHOOL—Labor Day
Homecoming Weekend
Parent/Teacher Conferences; 1:40 pm student dismissal
NO SCHOOL—Non-attendance day
Half Day In-Service; 11 am dismissal
NO SCHOOL—Columbus Day
Term 1 Final Exams—12:45 pm dismissal
Term 2 begins
Half Day In-Service; 11 am dismissal
NO SCHOOL—Non-attendance day
NO SCHOOL—Thanksgiving holiday
Early Release—1:40 pm
Term 2 Final Exams—12:45 pm dismissal
Mon., Jan. 4
Tues., Jan. 5
Mon., Jan. 18
Tues., Feb. 2
Wed., Feb. 3
Mon., Feb. 15
Tues., March 1
Thurs., Fri., March 10/11
Mon., March 14
Mon., March 21—25
Mon., March 28
Tues., April 5
Fri., April 22
Sun., May 15
Tues, Wed., May 17/18
Wed., May 18
NO SCHOOL—Institute Day
School resumes—Begin Term 3
NO SCHOOL—Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday
Half Day In-Service; 11 am dismissal
Parent/Teacher conferences; 1:40 pm student dismissal
NO SCHOOL—Presidents Day
Half Day In-Service; 11 am dismissal
Term 3 Final Exams—12:45 pm dismissal
Begin Term 4
NO SCHOOL—Spring Break
School resumes
Half Day In-Service; 11 am dismissal
NO SCHOOL—Non-attendance day
Graduation, Class of 2016
Term 4 Final Exams; 12:45 pm dismissal
Half-Day In-Service; 12:45 dismissal
Thurs., May 19 to Wed., May 25—Emergency Days if needed
Late start at 9:25 am every Thursday except on Final Exam Days
2015-2016 Calendar
15
Mundelein High School District 120
Non-Profit Organization
1350 W Hawley ST
US Postage PAID
Mundelein, IL 60060
Permit Number 60
www.d120.org
Mundelein, IL 60060
ECRWSS
Residential Postal Customer
Website: www.d120.org