SCHOOL NEWS
Thursday, March 10, 2016
The Reporter
11
Elim Show Choir performs at SW Chicago Christian School The Elim Show Choir performed last month for the students at Southwest Chicago Christian School in Oak Lawn. The Elim Show Choir (right) performed several songs for the staff and students, along with some guests from Elim. After the concert, students from Southwest Chicago Christian were able to visit with the Elim students. Supplied photo
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Students from Covington Elementary School in Oak Lawn pose for a picture in front of tables full of food for Pilgrim Faith Church, a local food pantry that was running low on food for local residents.
Covington, Hometown students help fill food pantry Students at Covington Elementary School in Oak Lawn and Hometown School answered the call for need and assisted in supplying the food pantry at Pilgrim Faith Church in Oak Lawn. The food pantry at Pilgrim Faith Church was running extremely low. Covington “Pawsitive Leaders Club” answered the call and put together flyers and posters to promote a food drive. Covington staff received an extra incentive to donate by having a Friday jean day. The result was over 400 items were collected, organized and boxed for delivery.
Two vans were needed to transfer all the donations. Meanwhile, at Hometown Elementary, students were busy with their own contributions. As part of Hometown’s One School, One Book Program, the school community is currently reading, “Adventures of a South Pole Pig” by Chris Kurtz. “Flora’s Food Drive” is one of several activities corresponding to the reading program and named after the book’s beloved main character. The Hometown community pulled together and donated several vans worth of food.
Richards, Oak Lawn high schools to compete in donkey basketball for charity on Friday The Rotary-Interact Club of Richards High School is co-sponsoring a donkey basketball game against Oak Lawn Community High School beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, March 11 at Oak Lawn High School, 9400 Southwest Highway. Richards teachers and students will compete against Oak Lawn teachers and students in game of basketball on donkeys to raise money for local charities. The theme of the event is “Shrek.” The Oak Lawn police and fire departments will
be competing against each other as well. Tickets are $6 in advance and $8 for students and $10 for adults at the door. Tickets are on sale in the Richards cafeteria or from a student in the Rotary-Interact Club. Students interested in participating in the game can contact Joyce Kruse, the Richards faculty sponsor, in Room 254. All students will be placed in a drawing for the team of 10 who will play in the game.
Moraine Valley hosts Parent and Family Orientation Parents and family members of new students planning to attend Moraine Valley Community College in the fall 2016 semester are invited to attend a Parent and Family Orientation at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 14. The orientation will be in Moraine Room 2, in the Moraine Business and Conference Center (Building M), on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Attendees will receive information, including how to support a student before and after student orientation, Moraine Valley’s policies and procedures, the fall 2016 registration deadlines, and the
college’s financial aid process. Representatives from New Student Orientation, Financial Aid, Academic Advising, Multicultural Student Affairs, Counseling, and other key college departments will explain their services and how they assist students. The orientation also will be provided in Spanish. Space is limited and registration is required. Register online at morainevalley.edu/parent or Richard Caldwell at (708) 974-5277. Spanish-speaking families can reserve their space by contacting Faviola Martinez at (708) 608-4349.
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Dan and Victoria Lynch sit with an employee from Last Bell Ministries in Ukraine, sorting through supplies they purchased for the residents there. Young adults who have aged out of the orphanage system are given housing, education, job training and support through the charity.
Marist student assists Ukraine teens no longer in orphanages Inspired by the experience of his own sister who was adopted from the Ukraine, Marist High School senior Dan Lynch started a fundraiser to support teens and young adults who have aged out of the orphanage system in the eastern European country. With the help of his family, Lynch sought out both personal and corporate donations. He received most of his support from fellow parishioners at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Palos Hills. He was able to raise more than $10,000. In late November of 2015 he traveled with his dad and sister to the Ukraine to visit Last Bell Ministries, which cares for teens who have “graduated” from the orphanage. Once teens age out of the government system, they have few opportunities for housing, education or employment. The charity provides shelter, job training, mentoring and general support. With the money collected, he purchased toiletries,
food, bibles, and even had enough for some Christmas presents for the residents. He and his family met with the young people living there and learned about their lives. “They instill God there, and there’s a real sense of life,” Lynch said of the ministry. Lynch found the experience life changing. “The people there have been orphaned and some have deformities,” he said. “They’ve had every roadblock put in front of them, but they are happy and optimistic.” Lynch’s sister, Victoria, was adopted by the Lynch family in 2014 at the age of 16. She is enrolled in Sandburg High School’s English Language Learners program. Dan is considering Indiana University or the University of Illinois for college, where he plans to major in accounting. He also plans to continue his fundraising efforts for orphans in Ukraine, and says his younger brother will soon take the reins while he is in college.
St. Xavier holds economic summit
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St. Xavier University’s Graham School of Management hosted their 2nd Annual Economic Summit on Feb. 26 at the Willis Tower. Seventy-two business and economic professionals attended to hear event panelists discuss the latest economic and financial trends within the U.S. market — how China’s falling economy affects the U.S.; inflation and interest rates; geographical impacts on personal economic growth; and Illinois budget crisis with respect to MAP grant funding. Panelists in attendance at the Summit included (from left) Dr. Indranil Ghosh, associate professor of economics; William Strauss, senior economist and advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Dr. Asghar Sabbaghi, dean of Graham School of Management; Dr. Monzurul Hoque, professor of finance and chair of the Graham School Management’s Department of Economics, Finance, and Quantitative Analysis; and Dr. Song Wang, assistant professor of finance.
STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Oak Lawn resident named to dean’s list at Boston U. A local student has been recently named to the dean’s list for the 2015 fall semester at Boston University. Roxanne K. Segina, a resident of Oak Lawn, was selected to the dean’s list at Boston University.
Evergreen Park resident on dean’s list at Ripon College A local student has been selected to the dean’s list for the fall 2015 semester at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis. Sophomore Colleen Elzinga, a resident of Evergreen Park, was named to the dean’s list at Ripon. She is majoring in Chemistry Biology. She is the daughter of Dean and Marianne Elzinga, of Evergreen Park.
Oak Lawn resident receives degree from Clarkson A local student has received a degree from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Katie Lynn Poetz, an Oak Lawn resident, received her doctor of philosophy degree in Chemistry from Clarkson University.
Local students on dean’s list at St. Xavier University Local students have been selected to the dean’s list for the fall 2015 semester at St. Xavier University. Chicago Ridge residents who were selected to the dean’s list are junior Tyler Mitchell, who is majoring in Psychology and Political Science; junior Rana Naser, Biology and Pre-Health; and freshman Lizabeth Richardson, Education. Evergreen Park residents earning dean’s list honors are freshman Amanda Grabowski, Nursing; junior Bernard Sullivan, Accounting; sophomore Charmaine Hall, Sociology; sophomore Edward Kennedy, Nursing; senior Eleanore Menke, Art; junior Jillian Siemiawski, Undecided; freshman Kayla Hughes, Music; junior Mark Martin, Undecided; sophomore
Michael Rizzo, Finance; and sophomore Stephanie Stavrenos, English. Hickory Hills residents on the dean’s list are freshman Deanne Zayed, Business Administration; freshman Gustavo Diaz Jr., Biology and Pre-Health; junior Linda Harb, English; and freshman Lisa Fielding, Psychology. Oak Lawn residents earning dean’s list honors are freshman Aileen Gorman, Chemistry-Biochemistry; junior Anne Griffith, Undecided; sophomore Anthony Gal, Management; sophomore Benjamin Popp, Biology and Pre-Health; senior Daniel Kunst, Accounting and Finance; sophomore Elizabeth Zahdan, Nursing; freshman Jannah Alaiwi, Nursing; freshman Kaylie Deleco, Education; freshman Mary Kinney, Nursing; sophomore Megan Pripusich, Art; sophomore Michael Panek, Accounting; sophomore Morgan Jozsa, Nursing; junior Nathaly Gal, Music; junior Sahar Barakat, Education; junior Samantha Schlosser, Sociology; freshman Sana Barakat, Nursing; freshman Slawomir Klus, Business Administration; sophomore Tara Hill, Communications Science and Disorders; senior Thomas Kinney, Criminal Justice; and junior Weronika Ciezczak, Accounting-Finance. Orland Park residents who earned dean’s list honors are senior Amanda Tzivas, Political Science; freshman Aneta Rychtarczyk, Communications Science and Disorders; freshman Annie McDermott, Nursing; freshman Deonna Maracich, Nursing; sophomore Diana Choina, Nursing; sophomore Gina Bollito, Communications and Disorders; freshman Janica Arcenal, Nursing; freshman Julianna Metzler, Psychology and Professional Studies; freshman Kathleen Fabular, Nursing; freshman Lauren Surin, Education; senior Lindsey Surin, Art; junior Robert Potoczek, ChemistryBiochemistry; junior Robin Prokaski, Math; and sophomore Yasmeen Bader, Nursing. Palos Hills residents who are selected to the dean’s list are sophomore Alexis Nowak, Communications Science and
Disorders; freshman Curtis Feipel, Biology; senior Kayla Glogowski, Education; freshman Meagan Jones, Communication; freshman Nathaniel Christakis, Communication Sciences and Disorders; freshman Thomas Czech, Psychology; senior Tomas Savelskas, Criminal Justice; and senior Waldkira Kaminski, Library Studies. Palos Park residents earning dean’s list honors are freshman Aubrey Malito, Music; and junior Linda Odeh, Communications Science and Disorders-Psychology. Worth residents earning dean’s list honors are junior Heidi Haack, Communication Sciences and Disorders; and sophomore Julie Fitzner, Education.
Richards students earn Honors with Distinction A group of local students at Richards High School in Oak Lawn made the Honors with Distinction list for the second quarter of the 2015-16 school year. Students who made Honors with Distinction had a 4.9 or above grade-point average: Freshmen with Honors with Distinction are Sara Ahmed, Brian Carpenter, Lisa Doan, Esraa’Zamurud Hussaini, Sebastian Reczek, Carolaine Gillespie, Michelle Hansen, Mohamed Altamimi, Adam Daoud, Saja Hamad, Ethan Holesha, Ahmed Kahack, Rebecca Lipczynski, Sarah Murczek, John Travnik, Liam Brennan, Jakob Dobrzynski, Hanny Taher, Allyson Terrell, Marissa Collins, Amelia Dunterman, Paola Huirache, Jennifer Kilian, Katherine Kois, Joseph Levato, Danny March, Brett Renken, Joshua Swann, Paul Youssef, Grace Forberg, Sierra Johnson, Nicholas Levato, Haley Moran, Samuel Popp, David Threat, Noor Awaidah, Corrine Case, Feben Ruscitti, Cristian Villanueva, Clare Whalen, Dena Almusa, Natalie Casey, Alyssa Emmick, Ruta Jackevicius, Darlene Salacsacan, Renata Stekala, Omar Altermathy, Motaz Alzaghari, Lauren Birmingham, Nicholas Bruno-Lind, Trevor Gronewald, Meryana Hattar, Candace Kostial, Moira
Kowalski, Jack Krickl, Isabel Magana, Rebecca Martin, Karam Mustafa, Isabella Nelson, Elizabeth Newton, Lilliam Rancel, Sulaiman Shaheen, Nuha Abougoash, Martin Danaher, Eddie DeLaTorre, Geriann Grabinski, Claire Kuypers, Alaric Ortiz, Mikayla Sisk, Justin Trayweeks, Luis Cortes, Joshua Goodman, Dalia Hamad, Erin Hennessy, Grace Betz, Jenna Brewer, Dunia Qaisi, Jacy Rogers, Batoul Al-Lami, Azmi Barakat, Aryka Brazitis, Luis Gabriel-Melendez, Maria Johnson, Kathy Magana, Christopher Majdecki, Catelin Master, Agnieszka Mazurek, Charles Pedraza, Van Phan, Sabrina Rehab, Maximus Simik and Christopher Villafuerte. Sophomores with Honors with Distinction are Basmala Ahmad, Ramona Bourjas, Steven Serrano, Kinga Wrobel, Afnan Mizyed, Bayan Mizyed, Rafal Czech, Sinead Soltis, Daniel Birmingham, Jason McIntyre, Haneen Omar, Lesly Villarreal, Laura Eringis, Katelyn Deppe, Niles Gall, Viviana Urbano, Sami Alqadi, Jason Kargol, Eleanor McLaughlin, Alexis Traylor, Marta Piotrowski, Ahmad Almanasra, Lydia Huijon, Amani Jaber, Ashley Rosenbrock, Agustin Murillo, Caitlyn Solomon, Ameer Barakat, Gerald Cabel, Janiyah Williams, Katelyn Flahive, Jonathan Le, Lukas Williams, Michelle Quinn, Kay Mei, Hannah Bargouthi, Arthur Raines, Samantha Diaz, Tonya Hicks, Nena Gimza, Zanah Affaneh, Nathaniel Beasley, Victoria Granz, Patrycja Las, Festus Folan, Rose Green, Grace Law, Michael O’Sullivan, Hussein Salem, Justin Taylor, Robert Hughes, Matthew Lagioia, Marina Smentek, Caitlin Lamirez, Dominic Benegas, Leonardo Hernandez, Janessa Morales, Delilah Caldera, Samantha DeLoera, Joseph Mlinarcik, Hadeel Damra, Layla Toubeh, Jenae Corley, Angelina Nutley and Sajjid Odeh. Juniors earning Honors with Distinction are Jack Moran, Jake Moran, Sarah Coffman, Patrick Fox, Diala Al Shamasneh, Allison Isztok, Chauncey Lawson Weinert, Nour Saleh, Sabreen Jaber, Mohamed
Ahmed, Sara Mason, Clifford Lamirez, Peter Forberg, Grace Cook, Alison Lange, Karolyn Wong, Aiste Leskauskas, Timothy Birmingham, Politimi Labrakis, Matthew Rockey, Stanislaw Wrobel, Gisele Jankowski, Allison Lively, Megan Kozik, Matthew Jareczek, Emma Weiland, Omar Ahmed, Allyson Houston, Elisabetta Fanous – Botros, Ahmad Taher, Charles Toro Rodriguez, Natalie Startek, Karina Kachnowski, Beshoy Youssef, Creen Ahmad, Mary Rabadi, Zachary Sisk, Ayah Abughoush, Megan Bradbury, Michael Kaminski, Amjed Shuibat, Ryan Rudnick, Emily Miller, Margaret O’Shea, Peyton Attig, Kaitlin Cabel, Rebecca Wujcik, Brenden Butler, Mercedes Maali, Sofia Carrillo, Eyad Omar, Davianna Jones, Mahdy Suhail, Alexandra Wozniak, Diann Butnariu, Joshua Hildebrand, Brett Nolan, Adam Holesha, Zoharel Anthony Quinn, Ethan Gallant, Katharine Azem, Zayna Barakat, Essence Mack, Sara Obadi, Taylor Ivory, Piotr Bernat, Shannon Meegan, Luis Campos, Nathaniel Gimza, Weronika Kmiecik, Mya Reyes and Keoni Palomino. Seniors receiving high honors are Andrew Gacek, Hani Salameh, Jason Mallo, Basheer Toubeh, Nicole Hansen, Aileen Kuypers, Sara Kiziak, Bryan Del Toro, Gelena Alnas, Courtney Leverenz, Lilliana Dunterman, Kimberly McEvilly, Suha Ahmad, David Allen, Ryan Renken, Zachary Rizzo, Emily Christian, Autumn Black, Lidia Turwon, Emily Kunz, Emer Moloney, Aleksandra Piotrowski, Thomas Artz, Kylie Kowaleski, Meghan Murphy, Jada Thorne, Amer Khairallah, Natalie Fadden, Margaret Kowalski, Sami Bourjas, Marissa Corsiatto, Ian O’Reilly, Lauryn McManus, Caroline Szperlak, Jennifer Soto, Justin Grochowski, Thomas LaMantia, Sydney Torres, Celeste Montenegro, Gina Guerra, Egle Zelinkeviciute, China Burton, Kelsey Bergman, Zenah Alaiwi, Nicholas Kargol, Sierra Witt, Seema Atshan, Layla Barakat, Pawel Rusnak, Erica Parks, Faisel Shehadeh, Isaiah Perez, Jade Knapp, Sean Good, Ronnie Mayfield and Shahed Smadi.