Football Player Earns Leadership Award

from the Chicago Bears

Congratulations to Dorien Vazquez of our Bison Football Team. He was on field at the October 13, 2022 Chicago Bears game receiving the Latino Heritage Youth Leadership Award. He also was interviewed on Univision at halftime.

Only two high school students were selected for this honor. According to the Bears, the award recognizes exceptional high school student athletes of Latino heritage that display outstanding leadership on and off the field, excel in the classroom, and make a positive impact in their school and local community through service to others.

The Chicago Bears praised Dorien for his 3.6 grade point average, being a leader in three sports, earning All State Academic Honors, and for his volunteer time with Habitat for Humanity.

Girls Volleyball Sets New Record for Wins

The 2022-2023 girls varsity volleyball team set a new program record with their 25 victories in a single season, surpassing the record of 24 wins set back in 2018.

Boys Basketball Sets New Record for Wins

The 2022-2023 boys varsity basketball team finished the season at 24-8 and set a new program record for single season wins, surpassing the 21 win season by the 2019-2020 Bison Ballers.

Superior Writing

Fenton teachers nominated three students for the 2023 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards, which is a schoolbased writing program for high school juniors established in 1957 as a way to encourage students to write and to recognize some of the best student writers in the nation.

Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta earned a Superior designation, David Severiano earned an Excellent designation, and Abby Hernandez earned a Merit designation. Only 347 students across the United States were accepted into the program.

From Mighty Bison to Fighting Irish

Congratulations to Anna Lelek for earning a prestigious QuestBridge Scholarship to attend her choice school the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. This four-year scholarship covers tuition, room and board, books, supplies, travel, and living expenses.

Anna plans on majoring in chemical engineering, focusing on the biomedical track. Her goal is to work in the cancer research field utilizing nanotechnology to find a cure.

The QuestBridge National College Match is an equity program that connects high-achieving high school seniors from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with full fouryear scholarships to the nation’s top colleges.

According to a Questbridge news release, this year’s 1,755 recipients combined for an average GPA of 3.94, and 94% of the students are in the top 10% of their graduating class.

State Scholars

The following students were recognized in the 2023 State Scholar Program because of their outstanding academic achievements.

Students are selected based on their standardized test scores and their cumulative GPA after their second semester of their junior year.

Fenton Student Earn National Honor from College Board

Congratulations to Angel Acosta Leon for being recognized by the College Board for outstanding academic achievement.

As part of an equity initiative a few years ago, the College Board created National Recognition Programs for students from underrepresented populations. These are highly respected honors that carry a lot of weight on a student’s college and scholarship applications.

High school students across the country are invited to apply if their PSAT or AP scores are within a certain range. They must also have a GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of their junior

Angel Acosta Leon was selected for the National Hispanic Recognition Award. While being celebrated at Fenton’s October 2022 Board of Education meeting, Angel thanked his parents for all the sacrifices they have made and continue to make in order for him to pursue his education.

“I’m very humble for it, and I’m very thankful for them,” Angel told the school board. “They play a very important role in my life today.”

Angel Acosta Leon

Jessica Benn

Alexandra Carillo

Daphne Castillo

Maximilian Celarek

Reagan Dakins

Vi Gibes

Jadyn Golz

Kaitlyn Hoffing

Ariana Hurtado

Patrick Karbowski

Aleksander

Klimczyk

Dominik Kroupa

Joanna Kukielko

Anna Lelek

Mcaleigh Logue

Adarsh Patel

Savannah Paz

Ryan Peterson

Lydia Rihani

Oleksandr Rusnak

Tiara Sanchez

Natalia Szala

Julissa Velazquez

Madison Westbrook

Sidney Westbrook

Fenton Administrator Wins Innovative Technology Director Award

Dr. Jim Batson won the 2022 Innovative Technology Director Award from Tech & Learning, which is a national publication that delivers news on technology in education. Dr. Batson was one of three winners for the Chicago region.

The nomination written for Dr. Batson focused on his contributions to Fenton’s equity mission. Notable efforts described in the nomination include:

⊲ Fenton’s 1-to-1 Chromebook initiative to ensure all students have access to technology in the classroom,

⊲ The financial decisions that make it possible for Fenton to maintain the 1-to-1 initiative long term and to have substitute Chromebooks while others are being repaired,

⊲ The availability of internet hot spots for students to check out and take home, both before the pandemic and to a greater degree during the pandemic,

⊲ Fenton’s effort to get corporately donated laptops to parents who don’t have computers,

⊲ The affordable acquisition of calculators for all students,

⊲ The use of technology in Fenton’s many vaccination efforts, including the registration process and appointment reminders.

Rick Kambic Becomes President of the Bensenville Wood Dale Food Pantry

Fenton High School partners with the Bensenville Wood Dale Food Pantry to support our families and neighbors who are navigating economic challenges.

Mr. Rick Kambic, Fenton’s Director of Communications and Community Engagement, has served on the food pantry’s board of directors since 2019 and in December was elected president of the local nonprofit.

In his new role, Mr. Kambic is leading the diverse group of board members and volunteers in strategic planning, assessment of capital needs, retooling grants management, and expanding the organization’s external communication efforts.

Mark Drelicharz Named CTE Instructor of the Year

Fenton’s very own Mr. Mark Drelicharz was recognized in February 2023 as a Career & Technical Education Instructor of the Year by the DuPage Area Occupational Education System (DAOES) as well as College of DuPage.

DAOES is an Illinois Education for Employment (EFE) system responsible for planning for the delivery of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in this geographical area. Fenton operates its CTE classes under the guidance of DAOES.

Mr. Drelicharz is a leader at Fenton as an instructional coach, he’s a strong teacher in the classroom who inspires our students, and he is outstanding at developing industry partnerships that bring new and innovative learning opportunities to our students.

Fenton School Board Wins Good Governance Award

The Fenton Board of Education was one of only 33 school boards in all of Illinois to earn the 2022 School Board Governance Recognition. This is presented by the Illinois Association of School Boards, which is an association of peers established in December 1913 to help guide school boards in fulfilling their duties to taxpayers.

Paul Welsh Becomes President of IACAC

On June 1, 2023, Fenton School Counselor Paul Welsh began his term of service as President of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC). IACAC is a professional association of more than 1,700 school counselors, admission and financial aid officers, active retirees, and school counseling graduate students who advocate for the future of education in the State of Illinois and in the nation.