J. ST E R L I N G M O R TO N H I G H S C H O O L D I ST R I C T 2 0 1
MORTON CONNECTION MO RTON S E NIO RS B LOSS O M INTO I L LINO IS STAT E S CH O LA RS .
ISSUE 27 MARCH 2017
A Message From Your Leaders
Your Board of Education | La Junta de Educación Jeff Pesek Kasumba “Kal” Lwanga Jessica Jaramillo-Flores PRESIDENT
Lido Manetti MEMBER
SECRETARY
VICE PRESIDENT
Margaret Kelly MEMBER
Sandra Tomschin MEMBER
Mark D. Kraft MEMBER
Giovanni Mendoza STUDENT BOARD MEMBER
Support Our Morton Mustangs
Making Dreams a Reality
We have seen many great academic and athletic achievements over the past several years. Our students are reaching new heights. All of this is a reflection on the hard work of our students, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the community. For centuries, schools have been one of the pillars of every American community. These institutions of learning reflect what is great about every village, town, and city throughout the nation. We cannot reach these levels of success without the aid and assistance from residents throughout all of our communities. I want to encourage each and every one of you to help continue the upward trajectory Morton District 201 has taken and seen how far we can go. One way to help is by helping our athletic programs by attending our second annual Golf Outing this summer. We will start at noon on June 2 at Fresh Meadow Golf Club with lunch followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. before breaking for dinner in the early evening. Tickets are $150 per golfer or $500 for a foursome. Dinner tickets are available for those not wanting to golf for just $50. If you want to purchase any of these packages, visit www.MortonBoosterClub.com or stop by the athletic office.
Last month, I was happy to announce the Illinois Principals Association presented Principal Jose Gamboa with the High School Principal of the Year Award. Today, I bring more great news. Morton District 201 AP Spanish Language and Culture Teacher, Elizabeth Mendoza, won 2017 AP Teacher of the Year. This announcement comes a year after Morton was named AP District of the Year by the College Board. These recognitions prove we’re committed to offering high-quality education and do all we can to provide a positive learning environment for our students. Despite budget cutbacks, we continue to expand our academic and activity offerings and have seen a spike in the number of students taking advantage of opportunities available at our schools. We’ve maintained sustainable public finances due to our resourcefulness and fiscal responsibility. With that said, we’ll continue to follow the existing board policies, Morton District 201 practices, and procedures that have been established to provide equal educational prospects for our students. Let us continue to embrace the diversity that makes us strong and continue to advocate for all students to ensure that they have the resources and skills needed to pursue their dreams.
Jeff Pesek School Board President
Dr. Mike Kuzniewski Superintendent
Morton Creatives Create Fine Arts Festival Morton celebrated “Youth Art Month” showcasing its student artwork at the 2017 Fine Arts Festival on March 17. The districtwide event began with a reception in the sundeck area at Morton West. The school’s culinary arts class prepared refreshments for guests to enjoy while touring through artwork created by Morton East and West students. The gallery featured artwork from visual arts, painting, photography, and AP studio art students. Morton also embraced other art forms, including videos produced by video classes, and music played by the Morton Mariachi and Orchestra musicians. Attendees who arrived by 6:30 p.m. received complimentary tickets to see the opening night performance of Morton West Theatre’s spring production, You Can’t Take It With You, later that evening. Thank you to all community members, friends, and family members for supporting our artists.
Parent Involvement Opportunities / Oportunidades Para Involúcrarse en la Educación ______________________ Coffee with the Principal:
______________________ Cafecito con el Director(a):
A space to share ideas between school leadership and parents once a month in a group setting.
Un lugar en donde junto a otros padres de familia podrás compartir tus ideas y sugerencias a nuestro equipo de liderazgo de la escuela de tu hijo (a).
Morton East: Every 2nd Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Workshops • Skyward workshops • Parent Book Club, College 101 • Parent classes for English as a second language
Morton East: Cada segundo Jueves del mes de 10 a.m. a 11 a.m.
Please contact your school’s Parent Liaison for more information on workshops.
Freshman Center: Cada tercer martes del mes de 9 a.m. a 10: 30 a.m.
Morton West: April 19, and May 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Freshman Center: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Morton East: Joshua Galvan, JoshuaGalvan@jsmorton.org
Morton West: Abril 19, y Mayo 17 de 8:30 a.m. a 9:30 a.m.
Morton FC: Linda Montejano, Lmontejano@jsmorton.org
Talleres • Talleres de Skyward • Club de Lectura para padres, colegio 101 • Clases para padres de Ingles como segundo idioma Favor de ponerse en contacto con su coordinador. de padres para más información sobre talleres
Morton West: Yadira Camacho, YCamacho@jsmorton.org
Someone to Know: Dr. Margaret Kelly Fair, kind, and humorous are the three words often used to describe Board of Education member Dr. Margaret Kelly, someone who has devoted most of her life to improving education for those around her. “Always be true to yourself and treat others as you’d like to be treated,” advises the mother of two as she shares the valuable lesson she’s learned from her parents. One of her fondest memories growing up in Ireland was visiting the library every Saturday as a kid. “I looked forward to going out with my mom and finding a new book for the week.” This beloved pastime marked her appreciation for education. “I’ve probably served on every committee,” she says with a proud smile while talking about her 26-year tenure with the Board of Education. Currently, Dr. Kelly is serving on the education and policy committees at Morton District 201. The Berwyn resident says it has been a rewarding experience seeing the improvement in the school district’s education service over the years despite the lack of funding. Along with watching the success of students in her community, she adds. “We earned AP District of the Year,” happily states the Loyola University Ph.D. graduate about the increase in opportunities we now have for our students. “These have been significant changes that I’ve witnessed, and it’s been a pleasure to help make that happen.”
Congratulations to Morton’s Illinois State Scholars Morton East State Scholars:
Morton West State Scholars:
Aida Revilla Andres Rodriguez Angelina Lyons Ariel Leon Daniela Ortega Denise Uribe Enoc Carranza Gerardo Medina Guadalupe Blanco Jailine CortesMendez Jessica Bucio Jesus Solis Joel Sandoval Katherine Solarte Kevin Cruz Lucero Contreras Manuel Meraz Maria Diaz Mariana Maldonado Mayra Vences Mhaylee Jimenez Miriam Vences Nadia Mendez Pablo Vicente Veronica Cabral Yasmeen Ragab Yoselin Castillo
Abigail Holloway Anahi Ruiz Ashley Ahumada Carlos Herrera Christopher Archuleta Geovani Gonzalez Gianna Cairo Jacqueline Crespo Jenifer Navarro Jesus Figueroa Jocelyn MorenoHernandez Karla Salcedo Maria Villalobos Martin Ruiz Michael Ghuneim Nataly HernandezOrozco Neum John Vento Nicolas Lynn Rafael Gonzalez Sienna Gudino Zynovia Jaen
Morton High School Seniors are receiving statewide recognition from the Illinois Student Assistance Committee (ISAC) for their outstanding academic achievement. ISAC recently announced the 2017-18 State Scholars and named 27 Morton East High School students and 21 Morton West students as honorees. State Scholars account for approximately the top ten percent of graduates from approved high schools each year. ISAC selects students based on their ACT and state test scores. Class rank and class size also play a factor in the selection process. According to the ISAC State Scholar Program requirements, students must perform in the top one-half of their high school class at the end of the third semester before graduation, or score at or above the 95th percentile on the ACT or SAT, to be eligible for the award. Morton East Illinois Scholars were treated with a breakfast and award ceremony in March. Morton West State Scholars will be recognized during this year’s senior awards night on May 11.
Volunteer With LifeSource Say Yes to Saving Lives. Volunteer with LifeSource and help save lives in our community. Your volunteer experience will be meaningful and rewarding. LifeSource holds blood drives throughout Chicagoland, including right here in our community at Morton East and West High Schools. So far this year, Morton East, alone, has seen over 350 students donate blood which will help save over 1,050 lives. Due to Morton’s efforts throughout the years, they’ve helped more than 16,000 people. In 2016, Morton East was voted the “Best Blood Drive” in Illinois. Morton West reported 300 plus participants in its past two blood drives, as well, and the school hopes to continue this positive trend at its upcoming blood drive at the end of April. Join LifeSource and Morton students in their lifesaving mission. For more information, call Christina Lambeth, 847-260-2775, or visit www.lifesource.org/us/volunteer-with-us.
Salute to Student Citizen of the Year Awardees Morton Board of Education members honored the 2017 Student Citizen of the Year (SCOTY) winners during their March meeting. The SCOTY Award celebrates and recognizes selected students who serve as role models and productive members of society. On behalf of the community, we’d like to say “thank you” to this group of young leaders for representing Morton Pride. Please see the following names of this year’s recipients: Jairo Saucedo, Juan Valdez, and Yasmeen Ragab.
Morton Is Home to AP Teacher of the Year
The College Board named Morton District 201 as the Advanced Placement (AP) District of the Year in 2016. A year later, today, Morton District 201 celebrates another AP recognition. One of Morton’s many excellent educators is selected as the 2017 AP Teacher of the Year. The College Board recognized Elizabeth Mendoza, an AP Spanish Language, and Culture Teacher, at the Midwest Regional Forum in late February for being an exemplary AP educator by implementing successful AP strategies and best practices in the classroom. In 2014, the Board of Education applauded Ms. Mendoza after 100 percent of her students earned 3 or higher on the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam the previous spring. The Board congratulated her and her students on their significant accomplishment and jokingly told her that they expected even better results the next year. For the last two years, Ms. Mendoza has been recognized for the outstanding results her students have achieved on the AP Exam. Not only did 100 percent of her students earn 3’s or higher on the AP Exam, again, but more students also earned 4’s and 5’s than each year before. As she was accepting her AP Teacher of the Year Award, Ms. Mendoza thank Morton’s administrative team and the Board of Education for supporting her professional development and encouraging students to challenge themselves in AP classes.
Morton Has the Strongest Voice in the Midwest at Winter Congress Morton’s Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) formed part of the 2017 Winter Congress in Washington, D.C. The JSA Club, including 35 students from East and West, was the largest group from the Midwest region in attendance. The Morton chapter met with the Illinois Senate delegation and observed a Senate floor debate unfold. Students also engaged in an intensive simulated debate with over 800 other high school students from around the country where they discussed issues facing our nation. They visited some of the finest monuments in the world and paid their respects to the thousands of service personnel who have given their lives to protect our safety.
Mustangs Climb to the Top Mathletes Advance to ICTM State Math Match On Feb. 25, the Morton East and Freshman Center Mathletes participated in the Regional ICTM Mathematics Contest at Concordia University. The Calculator Team, including Jesus Solis, Daniel Castillo, Abigail Leon, Elizabeth Castillo, and Javier Solis, tied for first place by scoring 65 points advancing them to the ICTM State Math Competition in May. Jesus Solis will also compete in the pre-calculus division. Congratulations to our regional champs and their coaches.
Engineers Qualify for IDEA State Finals For the second year in a row, Morton engineering students will compete in the IDEA State Finals after taking first place at the annual Illinois Drafting Educator Association Regional Competition. Nataly Hernandez-Orozco, Karla Salcedo, and Maria Urquizo from West took first place in Engineering Design. Ashley Rubio from East took first place in Introduction to CAD; Daniel Ordonez Salgado from West took first place, and Uriel Rubio from East took second place in 3D Modeling (Intermediate Division). And Luis Vazquez from East took second place in 3D Assembly (Advanced Division). These students will compete in the IDEA State Finals at Illinois State University on April 22.
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Chicago, Il Permit No.3631
T OF T HE YEAR
A P D I STR
IC
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 5041 W 31st Street Cicero, Il 60804
201 6
SECOND ANNUAL
GOLF OUTING FRIDAY, JUNE 2
FRESH MEADOW GOLF CLUB 2144 S WOLF RD. HILLSIDE, IL 60162 LUNCH AT 12 p.m. FOLLOWED BY A SHOTGUN START AT 1 p.m. DINNER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING GOLF.
morton201.org
THE BOOSTER CLUB THE MORTON ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB IS ALWAYS IN NEED OF DONATIONS, SPONSORSHIP, AND VOLUNTEERS. TO PURCHASE TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT MORTONBOOSTERCLUB.COM. YOU CAN ALSO STOP BY THE ATHLETIC OFFICE OR CALL 708.780.4000 EXT. 2514 FOR MORE INFORMATION.
SINGLE GOLFERS - $150 FOURSOME GOLFERS - $500 DINNER ONLY TICKET - $50
#MORTONPRIDE #ORGULLOMORTON
SPONSORED BY
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@morton201
district201@jsmorton.org
(708) 222-5700