HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR COMMUNITY HIGH …...Area 8th Graders and their parents are invited to Homewood-...

A rea 8th Graders and their parents are invited to Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School’s annual Voyage to Ex-

cellence Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 7-8:30 p.m.Attending Voyage to Excellence is a great way to become ac-quainted with the curricular and extracurricular programs atHomewood-Flossmoor. Incoming families will be able to meetdepartment chairs, teachers, coaches and sponsors as they tourthe campus.Booths from the school’s academic departments, clubs, sports

and activities will be located throughout the LEED Gold-certifiedNorth Building Fieldhouse, providing information on their or-ganizations and how to get involved. Impromptu performancesby members of the Viking Marching Band, Drumline and VikingChoir — as well as appearances by H-F’s ZooBot animals andmascot, Victor Viking — keep the evening entertaining and inter-esting. New activities to explore this year include the H-F CyberSecurity Club and Genealogy Club.Approximately 300 course options are available through H-F's

nine academic departments. New classes offered this year in-cluded Mandarin, Advanced Culinary and IB Economics SL. Thereare nearly 120 clubs and sports to join, as well, including (shownabove) Chess Club, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Operation Snow-ball, Viking Orchestra,Spanish Club, VisualArts Club and theViking BroadcastCompany, which justcelebrated its 50th an-niversary. Learn moreat this year’s openhouse on Dec. 2. Formore details, contactthe Activities Office at708-335-5525. HF

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 233, 999 KEDZIE, FLOSSMOOR, IL 60422 • 708-799-3000

Fall 2015 • Volume 42 • hfhighschool.org

Voyage to Excellence Open House: Wednesday, Dec. 2

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

VIKING C ONNECTION

Learn more about H-F’s academic programs, including courses inthe fine arts, at this year’s open house on Dec. 2.

HF VC FALL 2015_Layout 1 11/24/15 10:06 AM Page 3

2 • VIKING CONNECTION FALL 2015

GRADE 9 - Class of 2019HIGH HONORS: Shelby Akridge,Maya Alborn, Josephine Bachus, KailaBrack, Barbara Burns, Lily Callen, Lauryn Castagna, Joan Coderre,Kennedy Curtis, Victoria D’Astici, Kyndall Davis, Jasmyne Duffie, AbigailGuerrero, Perry Hoag III, Aisha Ibrahim,Caroline Koranda, Caroline Larocca, Brianna Lewis, Jeremy Libretti-River,Mackenzie Lyseng, Jeremiah Mailey-Durodola, Audrey McKillip, EmmaMcKillip, Jada Montgomery, MorganMurphy, Kensuke Nakamura, LaurinNeal, Sally Pauss, Matthew Piotrowski,Jeffrey Steele, James Steiner, MaeveVanEtten & Katelyn Zalewski

HONORS: Evan Abraham, DakariusAddison, Jordan Alfred, Jack Anderson,Udochukwu Anidobu, DominiqueAustin, Oyindasola Ayorinde, ClayvonBedenfield, Alex Benitez, Megan Bolling,Xavier Branch Jr., Joshua Bridges, JalonBristol, Charlie Brooks IV, AntonioBrown, Audrey Brown, Shelby Brown,Carrington Calhoun, Yvette Cano Montesino, Sydney Carlson, Zoe Carter,Kamya Cave, Malieq Chism, Robyn ColeJr., Lindsey Coleman, ChristopherCollins, Cormaria Cooksey, DonaldCrocker, Tyler Dean, Faith Denne, Lauren Donaire, Jalen Duffin, NanaDuku, Maggie Dunne, Benjamin Eng,Judah Epperson, Alec Farias, AudreyFaris, Madelyn Fitzgerald, NicholasFrontino, Jose Julian Garcia, KaniyahGill, Eli Gonzalez, Michael Gordon,Michael Grupp, Camia Gunn, SierraHarris, John Hertel, Alannah Hill, JasonHoefle, James Humphrey, CameronJohnson, Jack Johnson, Chloe Kapica, EliKebschull, Nehemiah Key, YaasmeenKidd, Skye Knott, Darek Kois, OwenKreis, Winston Langston, Mia Lanier,Mariah Larrieu, Gabrielle Laws, LeannaLewis, Angelina Lopez, Zachary Lueder,Dylan Lunceford, Jake Lutz, VianceMadden, Joshua Maicach, Laila Malak,Shallon Malfeo, Jesse Malone, Mia Martin, Gerardo Martinez Arias, RebeccaMay, Miranda McDowell, MakaylaMcMillian, Jessica McReynolds, DestinyMontgomery, Jack Layden Mott, TaylorNash, Grace Ongman, Aliyah Ouedraogo, Eniola Oyefeso, Max Perez,Caleb Pitts-Bowie, Camm Pollmacher,Kenneth Powell, Daeja Purnell, JoyRhodes, Ethan Richert, Peyton Riegler,Emily Robertson, Sean Roby, Alyssa Rosales, Innocenze Russell, Nora Ryan,Jasmine Sahagun, Jorge Santos, JacobSchroeder, Tiana Sharpe, ChristenSlaughter, Aleah Smith, Destiny Smith,Zykira Smith, Tailar Stamps, AutumnStaples, Jalen Stennis, Callista Stilts,Aileen Straley, Emily Sziky, TramoneTate, Henry Thiros, Taylor Tomlin, Sabrina Treccani, Gia Troche, AniyaVaughns, Kevin Watson Jr., Zoe Weaver,Hailey Weishaar, Josephine Wenckus,Jaelyn White, Mya Whiteside, AutumnWilliams, Orianna Williams, AlexandriaWilson, Nathan Wilson, Mara Winfrey,Jazmyne Worthy & Samara Zinnerman

GRADE 10 - Class of 2018HIGH HONORS: Joseph Cipriano,Megan Connors, Levi Dobben, Alexandra Fieramosca, David Hill,Aaliyah Korkoyah, Allie Mangel, Andronicus Marati, Nacyla Mitchell,Madeline Moxley, Enrique Munoz,Emma Novak, Jonathan Rusek, JalenSpain, Kyla Stinson, Emma Temple, TaraThrall, Bridget VanEtten & SimoneWilliams

HONORS: Hyacinth Agting, RyanAkridge, Sarah Albers Fester, Kylie Andersen, Emma Anderson, AntonioArchilla, Taylor Ausley, Kori Barnes, Andrea Barrera, Gabrielle Bello, RiccoBertoletti, Ramon Blanco, ChristopherBlountt, Antoine Bouyer, Bobbi Brewer,Hasani Broomfield, Arianna Bunch, ZoeBunkley, Dylan Case, Sierriah Clemons,Jaylan Cook, Lauren Davidson, RavenDavis, Griffin Doyle, Sandra DriscollAbell, Max Dunlavy, Grace Elfner, Elise Epps, Evgenia Ermasova, Narissa Falkner, Opeyemi Fatuki, JustinFiallo, Amanda Fieramosca, AllysonFinkelstein, Leia Fuentes, Chloe Gallery,Arianna Garry-Bell, John Geary, JadenGladden, Jalea Gordon, Ryan Gorton,Tyra Grady, Danika Griffin, Jarrett Gunn Jr., Philip Hallam, Olivia Hamer,Nathaniel Hardy, Asante Hayes, Delaney Herkert, Jordyn Hester, Whitney Hopson, Joseph Humphrey,Angelina Izguerra, Destiny Izguerra,Brandon Johnson, Cameron Johnson,Miykael Jones, Jorden Levine, JonathanLewis, Alexandra Lowry, JonathanLuong, Elyse Mansfield, Erik Manzig,Michael Marseille, Chad Martin, RicardoMartinez, Kayla Matthews, Geena Melone, Mary Moran, Stephen Morrow,Amirah Muhammad, Logan Nordman,Garret Oatis, Liam OConnor, BeatriceOladosu, Olufemi Orekoya, Kweku Osei,Kyle O’Shea, Mireia Palou, Uriyah Patterson, Stephen Peacock, JenniferPearson, Claudia Pollmacher, JaneePorter, Andrew Pounder, Grace Prado,Lior Rafalovitz, Alex Rechsteiner, AndreReed, Raven Reeves, Michaela Reid,Nicole Rhoads, Tyler Roberson, TosanRone, Sierra Ross, Tylon Ross, RachaelRusek, Clare Grace Ryndak, BrielleScullark, Sarah Skorupa, Macaiah Small,Breana Spight, Margaret Sullivan, KayleeTarzon, Alona Taylor, Seantiana Tims,Mya Toliver, Jhamani Walker, ZiOnayWalker, Shannon Wallace, Chloe Walls,Jomari Watson, Tawni Weathers, ColeWeber, Chad Wheeler, Shaniya Wiley,Crystal Wilson, Kyla Wilson, Kayla Winfrey, Joy Woods, John Wootton,Mariah Wordlaw & Kiara Yranela

GRADE 11 - Class of 2017HIGH HONORS: SopuluchukwuAnidobu, Olivia Bergeron, MelindaBerman, Michael Bonthron, NathanielBouchie, Vanessa Bowers, Emma Brown,Violet Buchtel Devine, Joshua Chambers,Aislinn DeButch, Bailey Didier, ClaireFortman, Karen Gonzalez, Eric

Hagerman, Lillian Hamer, SydneyHayes, Henry Heligas, Blessing Ibe,Sophia Johnson, Brennan Kaiser, ReeseKaiser, Samantha Klupchak, CarolineMadden, Chiedozie Nwaru, GabriellePizza, Jacob Rothchild, Lucy Sloan, ElizaSykes, Malika Toguem, Robert Venegas,Catherine Wassilak, Sarah Weiner & Tsai-Yun Yang

HONORS: Nicholas Adams, DeseanAikens, Matthew Anderson, Colin Beer,Isolde Belisle Dempsey, Joshua Bishop,Jenna Bostick, Justin Brooks, Tamiia Brown, Justin Caldwell, CamilleCampbell, Ryan Casey, Heaven Charles,Daniel Cline, Rebecca Cockrell, HaileyCoghlan, Courtney Commodore, AnneJulie Constant, Erin Cook, Justin Correll,Ernst Coupet, Mia Croswell, CooperDague, Eboni Davis, Kerrington Davis,Ashley Deckelman, Elliot DeNard, Abigail Diemer, Ashley Domer, ShelbyDorsey, Jayson Doss, Keleka Drumgole,Krystal-Flora Dureke, Zion Epperson,James Fields, Ryan Fitzgerald, PaytonGallery, Sydney Gear, Brittany Gibbs,Emanuel Gomez, Jacob Gonzalez, JosephGreenebaum, Eugene Hardison, AmberHaywood, Joseph Henry, Kyle Hinton,Katelyn Holmgren, Mary Huffman,Alexis Hunter, Ashley Hunter, Tiara Jackson, Demi Jefferson, LaurenJennings, Logan Jones, Shannon Jordan,Max Jung, Cierra King, Stephen Kirchschlager, William Knox, HenryKreis, Anna Lane, Aundria LaNier, ElijahLeake, Jazzmine Lee, Jonathon Lee, Hannah Leonard, Christian Lewis, LeahLondon, Christina Loyd, KristenMaxwell, Christian Mayo, NicholasMcAlister, Kendall McGowan-Durr, Brittany McLaurin, Kaila McLaurin,Glynnis McManamy, David Meehan,Alexander Mendoza, Brianna Meyer, Jessica Minor, Lelenn Moore, ThomasMoore, Gyrell Morrow, Rakiah Muhammad, Morgan Myles, Nana Osei,Meera Patel, Daniela Pena, Vincent Peo,Gianmarco Petrelli, Emma Piotrowski,Michael Price, Joseph Provine, PelinPruitt, Jennifer Riner, Jaimie Robinson,Eva Rubin, Dilan Rutland, Olivia Ryan,Kaitlyn Sanders, Kyra Schaffer, JohnSchmitz, Matthew Scholefield, MichaelSchutz, Simeon Shama, Aminat Shittu,Kennedi Sidberry, Thomas Simon, MalikSims, Jordan Singleton, Clayton Smailes,Donovan Small, Daniel Smith, KimaniSmith, Tess Sobolewski, Ian Stern, Hayley Sutherland, Juno Suzuki, AiraTantoco, Todd Taylor, Kristin Tribett,Mya Valadez, Sebastian Valentin,Michael VanEtten, Lauren Walker, Zakiya Walker, Tasha Washington, Eunice Whang, Deja Wilkins, KatherineWillis, Alex Wright & Kevin Zhang

GRADE 12 - Class of 2016HIGH HONORS: Kaitlyn Andreatta, Jomarie Arban, Jessica Barry, AnthonyBello, Ryan Bergal, Mae Carroll, ShiloahColey, Noah Colon, Margaret Colton,Benjamin Conforti, Heather Culbertson,

Samuel Cutrara, Elaina Dague, Alexander Derose, Meagan Donermeyer,Aliaa Eldabli, Jessenia Figueroa, ArlainaGardner, Michael Gislason, AileenHumphrey, Joshua Izenbart, RosemaryJoyce, Caitlin Lamb, Hannah Lichten-berg, Luke Logan, Michelle Maass,Jacqueline Mazique, Derra McWilliams,Linda Nwumeh, Sophia O’Connor, Brianna Rauch, Kayla Reiser, JohnathonSchmidt, Mandy Sigale, Cassidy Spuhler,Koryn St Clair, Keani Staton, CassieToolan, Elizabeth Voelker, Isabel Weber,Brittany White & Shaleahk Wilson

HONORS: Alexis Anderson, Emma Anderson, Margaret Austin, IsabellaAviles, Marcus Baker, Tia Baldwin, Taiylar Ball, Zion Banks, Lauren Barnett,Carli Bell, Jerome Beverly, Tamika Bobo,Temara Bobo, Jacob Bodine, MilesBohlman, Kai Brady, Caleb Brayboy, Lillian Brown, Rashelle Brownfield,Janelle Butler, Jack Calderone, Tina Calhoun, Alec Campos, Najee Chatman,Kristen Clark, Charles Clark Jr., ThomasClaxton, Bernie Coderre, Sarah Coghlan,Luke Colin, Derrick Collins II, SantagoConcepcion Wall, Tyler Connors, JeremyCorrell, Taylor Cox, Jade Curtis, KatieDames, Margaret Danielian, AlexDaubon, Anthony Davis, Booker Donelson III, Mary Donkel, TristanDonohoe, Reilly Dougherty, AnnaDunlavy, Jack Dunlavy, Shannon Dunne,Sydney Espinosa, Daniel Estelle, Christian Evans, Alec Fidanza, KrystinForte, Alexander Fuentes, MichaelGavin, Preston Genett, Gabrielle Glomb,Grant Gombash, Lila Grant, Bryce Gray,Michael Havighorst, Kalind Haynes,Hailey Heining, Brittany Henry, JustinHill, William Hopson, Brent Hughes,Morgan Jackson, Mariah Jiles, IsabellaJimenez, Erique Johnson, Dubois JonesII, Morgan Jordan, Ethan Kaiser, RainaKalas, Lauren Kuchta, Syria Laird, LauraLarocca, Madison Larocca, Dranea Lee,Erin Lee, Hannah Levy, Grace Lipscomb,Kyle Loudon, Mia Luckett, Jaida Macklin, LeeAndre Mahomes, Alexis Malone, Anastasia Marr, Michael McDermott, Aaron McGhee,Emanuel Mohan, Margaret Moore,Rachel Moore, Maxamillian Morales, Zakkiyah Muhammad, Paris Napue,Christopher Norling, Ianna Oatis, Noah Odom, Omolola Ogunlade, Sharon Okeke, Mary Paetow-Fanning,Benjamin Pair, Thomas Planera III, Victoria Pope, Tiffani Preston, Shelly Ray,Ann Reilly, Sean Ricci, Claudia Roberts,Cobi Sabo, Mia Schumann, Julia Schwieterman, Marcia Schwieterman,Mechai Sharks, Taylor Shults, NatalieShute, Luke Smailes, Courtney Thompson, Nicholas Thompson, ZachThompson, Aubria Thornhill, KatiaTingue, Lauren Torian, Johnathan Truex,Blake VanNiel, Kira VanVoorhees, Destiny Watson, Kendall Watts, Roger Weaver, Tyler Wheeler, Emily White, Morgan Williams, DariusWoods, Malina Wordlaw, Kayln Wright& Chad Yranela

1 s t Q u a r t e r Ho no r Ro l l — 2 0 1 5 / 1 6


A s you receive this latest issue of TheViking Connection, hopefully you are en-

joying — or have just enjoyed — yourThanksgiving holiday. In that spirit, here aresome things I am thankful for this year:

Our students. H-F students continue to amaze me with theirknowledge, focus and achievements. I am proud to announce thatthis year we have nine students who are Semifinalists and Com-mended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Mar-garet Colton and Heather Culbertson are our two Semifinalists.They are two of nearly 16,000 students across the U.S. to receivethis honor, placing them in the top 1% of 1.5 million students whotook the PSAT/NMSQT exam last fall.Maggie is a member ofViking Band, Heathersings with VikingChoir and both aremembers of the H-F IBDiploma Programme.Congratulations also toTristan Donohoe,Michael Gislason,Rosemary Joyce,Linda Nwumeh,Johnathon Schmidt,Lauren Torian and Is-abel Weber for beingnamed National Merit Commended Students. Although they willnot continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships,they placed among the top 5% of students across the country.

Our faculty and staff. We have so many talented adults hereat H-F — those being recognized for their work in the classroomand those being recognized for coaching and guiding our students,such as Tim Caldwell, who will retire this year after 26 years as aPhysical Education teacher. Tim has taught thousands of studentshow to swim and coached hundreds of boys and girls on H-F’sswimming and water polo teams. He was recently honored bybeing inducted into the Illinois Water Polo Hall of Fame in June.Our other teachers retiring this year include Donna Sayler, whohas chaired our World Language Department since 2003, who is aNational Board certified teacher and who is a reader for the APSpanish Language exam. Kathy Tisoncik, one of our accomplishedschool librarians, will also be retiring. She began her H-F career in2002, has helped create our H-F Reads program, has educatedthousands of students and has also presented to our H-F parentcommunity on behalf of our School Improvement Committee.

Our alumni. Once a Viking, always a Viking— it seems to be themantra of many of our successful alumni. Hundreds of them re-turned to campus recently for reunions to experience what H-F islike today and to reconnect with each other and former teachers.Others made financial contributions to the school this year to assistin the creation of new programs (such as our community organicgarden) and services (for example, a scholarship fund for summercamps). Alumni will soon be receiving information on H-F’s 2015fund project before the end of the year.

Our academic programs. Unique programs, such as the or-ganic garden mentioned above, are what make H-F a special place.We offer four levels of classes — including AP and IB — to fulfill

every student’s interest:from broadcasting towelding to microbiol-ogy. And on the hori-zon, H-F is proud tointroduce its newMedia, Visual & Per-forming Arts Academyfor the Class of 2020.This will be a two-yearprogram where stu-dents can develop theirtalents in an artisticfield, choosing a con-centration in either the-atre arts, media arts,

visual arts or musical arts. There are very few — if any — compre-hensive public high schools in the state of Illinois today that canmatch the offerings we have right here at Homewood-Flossmoor.

Our fine arts and extracurriculars. Our students — alongwith their dedicated sponsors, coaches and directors — connectwith our community year round. Whether it be on athletic fields orin the Mall Auditorium, I encourage you to see for yourself whattypes of students our incredible community has produced throughits generous resources and continuing support.

Our community. Community support for H-F has been amaz-ing — from our dedicated senior citizens who we celebrate eachfall at a special breakfast, to our H-F Foundation and HFPA organi-zations for their efforts each year in securing thousands of dollarsfor student programs and scholarships. A resounding thank you tothe community as a whole, for all the things you do and for yourunwavering support that make us successful. Because of you, weare always proud to say, “We are H-F!” HF

—Superintendent Dr. Von Mansfield

Note from the SuperintendentGratitude for the H-F community during this Thanksgiving holiday

FALL 2015 VIKING CONNECTION • 3

Left to right, this year’s National Merit students pose with Superintendent Dr. VonMansfield (far left) and Principal Dr. Ryan Pitcock (far right): Heather Culbertson(semi-finalist), Johnathon Schmidt, Margaret Colton (semi-finalist), Linda Nwumeh,Tristan Donohoe, Rosemary Joyce, Isabel Weber and Lauren Torian.



#4

Teachers rank among top in stateBy Camille Campbell, News

There are teachers, and then there are H-Fteachers, who are ranked higher than morethan 600 other schools in Illinois.

According to Niche.com, a site that ranksneighborhoods, colleges and grades K-12,teachers here ranked 13th best in the subur-ban Chicago area and 24th in Illinois.

H-F is the only local school on the list. “I think we have a great staff,” Assistant

Principal Craig Fantin said. “I'd take themup against any staff and I think they're sec-ond to none. They work hard and I thinkthey work well with our student body.”

Factors considered for teacher rankings onNiche.com are based on survey responses,academics, grades, average teacher salary,teacher attendance, years of experience andstudent-to-teacher ratio.

Physics teacher Stephanie Gioiosa hasbeen on the staff for eight years, and shebrings her own flare to the classroom.

“If I notice students are being lazy, I'll keepreminding them they can’t be lazy. I am re-lentless with students who think they canjust do nothing,” Gioiosa said.

Gioiosa isn't the only one who helps stu-dents succeed. Math teacher Paul Fasse has

been on our staff for 13 years, and has hisown strategy to make teaching special.

“I think I am effective as a teacher be-cause I do three things in the classroom,”Fasse said. “One, I diligently, consistentlywork as an expert in my content area. Two,I continually plan, implement and reflectwith instructional strategies, and then thethird thing, which I think works very wellfor myself and students, is using REBE.”

REBE or Rational Emotive Behavior Edu-cation/Therapy is a skill that Fasse intro-duces to his students.

“It's a rational self-talk skill to mainly copewith [life's] adversities as best as possible,”Fasse said.

Fasse continually uses it to be a betterteacher and describes teaching as a “craft,art, and a science.”

Teachers here attempt to help their stu-dents to the best of their ability.

“[Teachers approachability is] one of thereasons students feel comfortable aroundthem, and that's an important part of teach-ing,” Gioiosa said.

French teacher Wendy Stiglic, who hasbeen on the staff for 15 years, said that partof what makes H-F so unique is that theteachers really care.

“I take it personally for my students tosucceed or I take it personally when they

don't succeed, so I'm always doing my bestto make sure students are successful,” Stiglicsaid.

Student responses are also incorporated inthe ranking system.

Junior Chloe Williams said teachers some-times “push the limits.”

“I do appreciate their high expectations,but they could be a little bit more considerateof our social and academic lives,” Williamssaid.

According to the Patch.com, the district'sinvestment in teachers and strong learningenvironment contributed to the ranking.

Senior Taahira Muhammad said she no-tices the effort teachers here put in to helpstudents.

“I believe that H-F teachers are very caringabout their students, and they go the extramile a lot of times,” Muhammad said.“When they stay after school and they helpyou, they actually do care. They can be a lit-tle tough, but it's all worth it in the end.”HF

The Voyager — H-F’s student news-paper — is a member of the Colum-bia Scholastic Press Association, theNational Scholastic Press Associa-

tion and Quill & Scroll. This year’s editors-in-chief are

Tia Baldwin & Thomas Planera. The newspaper is sponsored by

Glen Leyden, English teacher. Thisarticle was originally published in

the Sept. 18, 2015, issue.

Brett AmbrosinoSpecial Education

Northern Illinois University

Anne CalderonEnglish

Indiana University /DePaul University

Reginald Brown,Jr.

EnglishNorthern Illinois

University / NationalLouis U. / Concordia

Stefanie CamilliWorld LanguageLoyola University

Yin DingWorld Language

Liaoning University /National Louis

University

Michael CampWorld Language

HofstraUniversity

Sir EdwardStaten

MathematicsSouthern University

Zachary WellsIn-School Detention

St. Joseph’s College

Terrance TerryEnglish

University of South Dakota

Nick GrijalvaEnglish

Northwestern U. /DePaul University

Ashley KecaSpecial EducationBradley University /St. Xavier University

Jeremiah HarrisGuidance

Wartburg College

Meet Homewood-Flossmoor’sNewest Faculty Members

AubreyDondlingerPE / Health

Southeast MissouriState U. / North Central College

Benjamin MayApplied AcademicsPurdue University / U. of Illinois / Illinois

State University



Reunion RoundupEach year at H-F groups of tireless volunteers step up to organize class reunions. We’d like to recognize and thank the following reunion coordinators and volunteers (below) for their dedication to creating memorable events for their fellow classmates. I am sure there are many more classmates who lend their expertise and assistance throughoutthe planning process, and we thank each and every one of these alumni for all they do in the name of Viking pride! Future coordinators can check out the list of resources and venues on the H-F High School website by clicking on the

“Alumni” button at the top of the home page. The H-F Alumni Office is also here as a resource, so please contact us with your plans orideas. — Ann Cherry, Director of Development & Alumni Relations

FINE ARTSDepartment

Two H-F studentswere honored atthe 67th Illinois ArtEducation Associa-tion’s Student ArtExhibition, heldNov. 5-7 in Lisle.More than 600Grade K-12 studententries were sub-

mitted for this prestigious show and 40 fi-nalists were chosen. Congratulations tosophomores Johnna Mitchell and SarahAlbers Fester who were both recognizedat a formal ceremony for their achieve-ment in the arts. H-F was the only schoolto have two students represented in thishighly competitive, juried show. Greg Pe-tecki, H-F teacher and Illinois’ Youth ArtMonth Coordinator, was also recognizedat the conference for his outstanding workwith Illinois’ youth art programming. TheNational Council for Art Education pre-sented him and the state of Illinois with anaward of merit. Illinois was only one offive states to receive this honor.

ENGLISH Department

Two student publi-cations that aresponsored by teach-ers from the EnglishDepartment haveearned Gold Medals

from the Columbia Scholastic Press Asso-ciation:

• The 2014-15 edition of Edda, Behind theMask, was sponsored by Sahar Mustafah.The art director was Raven Brown, H-Fsenior, and the editor-in-chief was MichaelCrecco, who graduated in May. The maga-zine received 900 out of a total possible1,000 points to earn its Gold Medal.• The 2014-15 issues of The Voyager, H-F’sstudent newspaper, were sponsored byGlen Leyden. The paper received its ninthGold Medal in the past 10 years. Read anarticle from this year’s first issue of The Voy-ager on page 4 of this newsletter.

SCIENCE Department

Science teacherGina Slusinskihad been selectedto be on theTeacher AdvisoryBoard for the

Chicago Field Museum's new permanentexhibit, the Cyrus Tang Hall of China,which opened in June. She was also cho-sen as one of five state finalists in Illinoisfor the 2015 Presidential Award for Excel-lence in Mathematics and Science Teaching(PAEMST).

SOCIAL SCIENCE Department

Social Scienceteacher NickAnello has beennamed a STAR inthe Classroom edu-

cator by 3M and Econ Illinois. This awardrecognizes educators with a history of in-corporating economic education in theclassroom, while providing a learning en-vironment that promotes student success.He received the award at an Econ Illinoisluncheon on Oct. 27.

H-F Fieldhouse: LEED Gold Facility

This summer H-F received official

notification from the U.S. Green

Building Council that its North Build-

ing Fieldhouse Addition project

earned a LEED gold certification

under the LEED for Schools Rating

System. The council said that the ad-

dition was a showcase example of

sustainable design that demonstrates

the district’s leadership in transform-

ing the building industry.

The project included refurbishing

the student cafeteria and gymnasium,

transforming the building's main en-

trance into an accessible two-story

atrium, and rebuilding and expanding

the fieldhouse to allow for additional

and more convenient programming

for students. To attain the LEED gold-

level certification, our renovation fea-

ture d several green components,

including high-efficiency lighting,

daylight harvesting, carefully de-

signed mechanical systems, occu-

pancy sensors and dedicated parking

spaces for low-emissions vehicles.

Today the new Fieldhouse — which

opened in late May 2014 — is a busy,

active place that in a single afternoon

could have basketball games, soccer

practice, dance team rehearsals, a

wrestling meet and student open

weight room at the same time. HF

Ne w s f r o m C a m p u s

Board of Education President Rick Litesaccepted the LEED Gold Certifiate on be-half of the school district in September.


#1 — Parents and guardians met their stu-

dents’ teachers during the annual Back-to-

School Night event, held Aug. 20. Volunteers

from National Honor Society were on hand

to help direct them around the H-F campus.

#2 — Parents returned to H-F for Parent-

Teacher Conferences, held on Oct. 29 in the

Fieldhouse, just after the end of the first

quarter.

#3 — The day after a rainy football game,

the Homecoming Dance was held in the

South Gym on Sept. 19. This year’s royal

couple were Omolola Ogunlade and Andre

Thomas.

#4 — James & the Giant Peach, hit the Mall

Auditorium stage in September. The cast

entertained hundreds of community mem-

bers, including all 7th Graders from James

Hart School.

Homewood-Flossmoor Snapshots

#3

#2

#1


#4



#5

#6

#5 — Approximately 500 student-musi-cians participated in the Music Depart-ment on Parade on Oct. 7. This is the only

occasion when all of the Band, Choir and

Orchestra classes perform at the same

event.

#6 — More than 1,200 students and par-ents met with nearly 200 reps from col-leges and universities at the 2015 CollegeNight, held Oct. 19 in the Fieldhouse.

AP SCHOLARS —Scores of 3 or higher on3 or more AP examsSobechukwu AnidobuAnthony BabinecTaiylar BallJacob BodineKayla ButlerKayla CallahanRaquel CarrilloHannah CaseyShiloah ColeyCourtney CommodoreTyler ConnorsAdira DangoyCheyenne DannerBrian DavisKennedy DavisJazeth DiazKathryn DonermeyerMeagan DonermeyerShannon DunneDaniel EstelleApril FaulknerPayton GalleryPreston GenettAustin GrandisonLila GrantJade GreearKumiwa-Pili GyasiAmber HaywoodHailey HeiningBrittany HenrySabrina HowardElizabeth HrymakAileen HumphreyShannon JordanMatea LarrieuHannah LichtenbergLuke LoganLonzo LynnJillian MajorJames ManesRobert MeagherPeter MitchellJared MooreMax MoralesCedric NarteyChris NorlingChiedozie NwaruMichael OjedaJeremy OseiReginald PeacockDaniela PenaDemetrio ReedAnn ReillyJeremy RhodesJacob RothchildHaden SantefortMatthew ScholefieldMegan ShockleyMandy SigaleKeani StatonCiara ThomasMalika ToguemKristyn TullyRobert VenegasSarah WeinerPayton WhiteRachel Wilson

AP SCHOLARS WITHHONORS — Averagescore of at least 3.25 onall AP exams taken,plus scores of 3 orhigher on 4 or moreexamsMelinda BermanMichael BonthronNathaniel BouchieZoe BranchPeter CiprianoMichael CreccoOlivia DauMicaela DavisMichael GavinLillian HamerHenry HeligasBlessing IbeJoshua IzenbartMilana JeuneLauren MingaLinda NwumehCobi SaboNatalie ShuteThomas SimonJuno SuzukiBriana ThompsonKatia TingueZakiya WalkerWesley Woodson

AP SCHOLARS WITHDISTINCTION — Average score of 3.5 onall AP exams taken,plus scores of 3 orhigher on 5 or moreexamsLauren AgrigentoKwame AmuhJessica BarryRyan BergalMorgan BohlmanMae CarrollJuliana CastagnaBernie CoderreMargaret ColtonGita ConnollyLadye CookHeather CulbertsonSamuel CutraraTristan DonohoeJoseph EagleJacob FontanaWhitney GeorgeMichael GislasonNora GrasseMia GuzynskiMichael HavighorstTerez HobsonVictor IbeMariah JilesRosemary JoyceRaina KalasAllison KoszykAleksander LaturnerBranden LevineHannah LevyVivien MakosMarcus MangelFiona Moran

Jackson MulliganMaya NakamuraKasey NemitzMary PaetowfanningMelissa PizzaThomas PlaneraKayla ReiserEvan RunburgJohn SchloenJohnathon SchmidtJulia SchwietermanDarius SlattonKatharine TeyklMadison ThirosNicholas ThompsonWesley ThrallLauren TorianJohnathan TruexKira VanVoorheesChristine VoelkerMylon Walker IVIsabel WeberShaleahk WilsonNoah Wojcikowski

NATIONAL APSCHOLARS — Average score of atleast 4 on all AP examstaken, plus scores of 4or higher on 8 or moreexamsMargaret ColtonJacob FontanaMichael GislasonEvan Runburg

IB DIPLOMA RECIPIENTSGita ConnollyBranden LevineMia GuzynskiTerez HobsonFiona Moran

EARNED QUALIFYINGSCORES IN ATLEAST 3 IB COURSESValeria CarrilloPeter CiprianoGita ConnollyJacob FontanaMia GuzynskiTerez HobsonEmma KayeBranden LevineMarcus MangelLauren MingaFiona MoranMichael MorrowJeremy OseiJoel OseiJustin StrongMadison ThirosKelsie WilkinsNicole Wood

H-F Students’ National Achievements


Al u m n i Ne w s & H a p p e n i n g s

VTV 50th Anniversary

Reunion RoundupEach year at H-F groups of tireless volunteers step up to organize class reunions. We’d like to recognize and thank the following reunion coordinators and volunteers (below) for their dedication to creating memorable events for their fellow classmates. I am sure there are many more classmates who lend their expertise and assistance throughoutthe planning process, and we thank each and every one of these alumni for all they do in the name of Viking pride! Future coordinators can check out the list of resources and venues on the H-F High School website by clicking on the

“Alumni” button at the top of the home page. The H-F Alumni Office is also here as a resource, so please contact us with your plans orideas. — Ann Cherry, Director of Development & Alumni Relations

1964

JaMel Sladek

Perkins &

Nick Jankowsky

1965Noreen DeLaremeHaiduk, GinnyBromley Joyce,John Childers,Janet Wright

Willis, Scott Willis,Deborah Chase,Jack Ginter, Steve

Bittner, MaryRachael Alexander,Andy Dennison,

John Korsgaard &Jack Lieventhal

1975

Tina Landry,

Carol Carson,

Cindy Piribauer,

Deb Friedland,

Donna Duelbs,

Jan Pfeilsticker,

Jerome Rowley,

Lesa Bobele,

Sue Malcheff &

Steve Sandford

1985

Sheila Hickey

Klupchak &

committee

1995

Heather

Sampognaro

Joyce,

Jennifer Walsh,

Rockey Carey,

Bethany Sirt,

Mandy Zaransky,

Akilah Scott & Mike

Jerit

2005

Rehan Hussain,

Rekha Dave,

Anne Litchfield

Calderon,

Kimberly Mercer

France,

Adnan Hussain &

Dana Robertson

VBC 50 Years

Sean McGarvey,

'96; Bob Com-

stock, '72;

Meg Tipton, '69;

Mark Ciesielski;

Michelle Nardi-

Marlo, '96; Tom

Gunderson, '95; &

Ben Bradley, ‘93

Viking Broadcast Company celebrates 50 yearsOn Oct. 24, H-F celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Viking Broadcasting Companywith a star-studded event at Idlewild Country Club. The event recognized the programfrom its inception as the Radio Club during the 1963-64 school year, spearheaded byTom Harlan, ’64, along with faculty member, Jerry Garber. The Radio Club would goon to receive its FCC license in 1964 and started broadcasting later that year. The clubmarked the beginning of a wide-ranging program that has launched numerous alumniinto the fields of radio and TV and instilled a sense of belonging and ownership tothousands more alumni along the way. An open house of the renovated VBC facilitiesstarted the day with alumni marveling over the improvements. In awe of the newequipment and technology, alumni left wishing they were students all over again. The Master of Ceremonies

for the evening’s event wasBen Bradley, ‘93, reporter and

weekend anchor at ABC 7 Chicago. Speakers recounting their days at theVBC included Chuck Garfien, ‘89, (CSN), and Lawrence Holmes, ’93, (670The Score). Every speaker credited the VBC with instilling a sense of belong-ing and responsibility, which has allowed them to succeed in whichever paththey chose. Later in the evening, Village of Flossmoor President Paul Braun,’72, presented a plaque to Superintendent Dr. Von Mansfield proclaimingthe day as VBC Day in Flossmoor. Retired faculty members — including Jerry Garber, Dell Kennedy, Meg

Tipton and Bob Comstock — were joined by more than 225 alumni andfriends, who came to express their thanks for all that H-F’s VBC had done forthem and to call for future VBC reunions.


Attendees of the VBC’s 50-year reunion included alumus and former teacher

Bob Comstock, ‘72, and Jack Yeo, ‘87 alumnus.

Second from left, Jerry Garber, H-F teacher 1964-79, visited with several former students at the VBC’s

50-year reunion in October.


Honors abound for Ashley as she fin-

ished up her illustrious collegiate ca-

reer at the University of Notre Dame.

This outstanding student-athlete car-

ried a strenuous academic load on her way to a degree in

mechanical engineering, while helping lead the women’s

golf team to numerous victories. As a senior, Ashley was

named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-Ameri-

can Scholar Team, as well as the 2015 All-Atlantic Coast

Conference Academic Women’s Golf Team. She is just the

11th student-athlete in Notre Dame athletics history (and the

first Fighting Irish women’s golfer) to be a three-time Aca-

demic All-American selection. This two-time captain of the

Irish golf team capped off her career winning the Byron V.

Kanaley Award, the highest honor awarded to a graduating

Notre Dame student-athlete. Just recently, Tau Beta Pi offi-

cially recognized her as one of the top five most outstand-

ing engineering students in the country.

While at H-F, Ashley was a four-year letter winner in golf

and was selected as team MVP all four years. As a junior in

2009, she was part of the state-champion H-F Viking team.

Ashley was an AP Scholar with Honors, an Illinois State

Scholar and a National Honor Society member. Ashley cred-

its AP Physics at H-F with sparking her interest in engineer-

ing. The summer after graduating Ashley won the Women’s

Western Golf Association National Junior Championship.

This fall Ashley entered a Ph.D. engineering program at the

University of Illinois - Urbana, where she will focus with dual

concentrations in controls and biomechanics. She is sharing

housing with younger sister, Sarah, ’14, who is currently an

undergraduate there. HF

A s h l e y A r m s t r o n g , ’ 1 1Ph.D. Student, University of Illinois

Attendees of the Class of 1995’s20-Year Reunion — held July 25 at

Gibsons Steakhouse —included: (near right)

Siri Sonty, Matthew Dork & Akilah Nisa; and (far right)

James LoPiccolo, Jenny Walsh & Heather

Sampognaro Joyce.

Attendees of the Class of 2005’s 10-Year Reunion — held Sept. 19 atLoft 644 — included (left to right): Rehan Hussain, Rekha Dave,

Anne Litchfield Calderon, Kimberly France Mercer, Adnan Hussain& Dana Robertson.

The Class of 1965 came roaring into town for their Golden An-niversary celebration on Oct. 2-4. Spearheaded by the very capableduo of Noreen DeLareme Haiduk and Ginny Bromley Joyce, the

group created a magical weekend of events and activities for morethan 150 alumni and guests. Above, the group gathers for a class

photo after dinner at Flossmoor Country Club.


HF VC FALL 2015_Layout 1 11/24/15 10:06 AM

The summer got off to

a fine start in July

when H-F hosted its

Inaugural Red & White

Athletic Golf Outing at Coyote Run Golf

Course. More than 90 alumni and friends —

including former football coach John Wrenn

(above, second from left) — gathered in sup-

port of Viking Athletics. Guests had a chance

to win a 2015 Cadillac SRX, courtesy of Arnie

Bauer Buick/GMC/Cadillac, on the 16th hole.

No one won the SRX, but one golfer came

within two feet! The outing raised approxi-

mately $10,000 for H-F athletic summer

camp scholarships and programming. HF

H-F Girls Tennis wonits 32nd straight sec-tional title on Oct.17, claiming the Lin-

coln-Way North Sectional crown by defeating several opponents. The teamthen finished in 7th Place at the IHSA State tournament. The team wascoached by Don Baron, Social Science teacher.

H-F Viking Football headed to the IHSA StateTournament with a strong start this fall. By Nov.1, twin senior running backs Deante & DevonteHarley-Hampton had already scored 40 touch-downs this season. Add in a Division 1-recruited(U. Wisconsin) wide receiver — Kendric Pryor —and Viking fans had a lot to cheer about.

This year’s BoysGolf Team qualifiedfor the IHSA StateTournament for thesecond year in arow. The team -Jack Mulligan, Pre-ston Genett, Jack

Calderone, Brent Hughes, Perry Hoag and Kevin Steiner - competed at The Den atFox Creek in Bloomington and finished in 11th place in its division. Preston fin-ished 13th individually! The team was coached by Chris Stiglic, Science teacher.

H-F Boys Soccer had an incredible season, ending up 10-10-2 with a heart-breaking loss to Sand-burg High School at theIHSA Regional Finalmatch at Brother RiceHigh School on Oct. 23.The team was coachedby Chris Reid, Readingteacher, and JimBoswell, Scienceteacher.


H -F Vik ing Ath le t i c s


Those Who Excel: H-F Assessment Dept.

Homewood-Flossmoor's As-sessment Department re-

ceived a Those Who Excel Awardof Meritorious Service from theIllinois State Board of Education inOctober. At H-F, the AssessmentDepartment team — (left to rightabove) Department Chair DaveKush , Department Secretary Micah Easter, Assessment Coordi-nator Tim Laba, and Test Accom-modations Coordinator RachelGiddens — works closely with allother district departments to de-velop common assessments thatare essential in meeting curricu-lum objectives and goals, as wellas state evaluation standards. Theteam also works to create individ-ual academic profiles for each ofthe school's nearly 3,000 stu-dents.

"This data is really invaluable,"says Superintendent Dr. VonMansfield. "Each teacher is ableto review a more complete profileof each of their students beforethey even walk into the classroombecause of this dedicated team ofinnovators."

The Assessment Department isalso in service to district parents,who receive a uniquely designedassessment report that allowsthem to follow their student'sprogress and projected academicperformance while at H-F.

The Illinois State Board of Edu-cation annually sponsors ThoseWho Excel to honor individualswho have made significant con-tributions to the state's public andnonpublic elementary and sec-ondary schools. HF

Principally SpeakingDear Stakeholders of H-F Community High School:

Iam not sure I could be more pleased with the work of our studentsand teachers this past quarter. Our students continue to meet our ex-

pectations, and our faculty may be one of the best in the state of Illi-nois. As a school, we recently honored our National Merit Awardwinners (see page 3), along with our Students of the Quarter: RonaldButler, Mae Carroll, Jhaylen Cherry, Brandon Davis, Matt Gavlez

Fernandez, Darius Hughes, Cameron Johnson, Jaidah Maria Barron, Ethan Richert,Johnathon Schmidt, Keyon Slater, Gabriel Temple, Gary Walker & Autumn Williams.

Our teachers continue to focus on their instructional methods and assessment practices.The department chairs and administrative team have spent significant time implementing anew teacher-evaluation model. This new model’s resulting conversations between teachers,department chairs and administrators have been richer and more comprehensive than everbefore. Our hope is for the resulting dialogue to continue to foster a sense of collegialityand promote increased student achievement through shaping, refining and reinforcingquality lesson design, instruction and assessment.

PARCC continues to be a major topic for public educators. From my seat, I believe suchextreme emphasis on standardized assessments has made many schools lose their focus onwhat they can control and where they should align their efforts. While I want our studentsto maximize their performance on assessments needed to benefit their personal paths (ACT,PSAT, AP, IB), our focus as a high school will always be on the type of assessment that isformative in nature and benefits learning within the classroom. Led by Dave Kush, ourSchool Improvement Team has served as an effective catalyst for shaping assessment con-versations to benefit all of our students and faculty members.

I often share how fortunate I am to serve as the principal of Homewood-Flossmoor HighSchool. Please know that I appreciate your support and trust in serving as your principal;our focus will remain on providing a world-class education within a supportive and safelearning environment. As always, make it a great day to be a Viking, and be safe.

— Ryan Pitcock, Ph.D., Principal

FALL 20 1 5 VI KI NG C ON N E C TION • 1 1

New for the Class of 2020, the H-F Media, Visual

and Performing Arts Academy (MVP) will be a two-

year program where students have the opportu-

nity to develop their talent in an art-focused field.

MVP is designed to afford the students with an

affinity for the fine arts and a unique high school

experience where their passion is the focal point

of their education, and the culmination of that experience is an interdiscipli-

nary collaboration with other creative students in the academy. Students

can choose from a theatre, media, visual or musical arts concentration. All

four concentrations will include a summer program; the new course, Aes-

thetics & the Creative Process, taken junior year; Comparative & Collabora-

tive Arts Seminar taken senior year; enrichment activities; and a capstone

project. Admission to MVP will be based upon GPA, written recommenda-

tions and a portfolio or performance requirement. Watch for more details

on this new program in the months to come!

Introducing: H-F MVP Academy


NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDECR WSS

FLOSSMOOR, ILPERMIT NO. 5

Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233999 Kedzie, Flossmoor, IL 60422Viking Connection is a newsletter for residents of Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233.

POSTAL CUSTOMER

D E C E M B E R2 .............Voyage to Excellence

Open House @Fieldhouse, 7 p.m.4.............H-F Foundation’s Masters of Soul

Fundraiser @ Freedom Hall, 5:30 p.m.

5 .............Incoming Freshman Placement Test @ South Building, 7:30 a.m.

................Inspirational Voices’ Breakfast with Santa @ North Cafeteria, 8:30-11 a.m.

................Holiday Instrumental Concert, Series 1 @ Mall Auditorium, 2 & 4 p.m.

6.............Holiday Instrumental Concert, Series 2 @ Mall Auditorium, 2 & 4 p.m.

8 .............H-F Foundation Meeting @ So.Dist. Conference Room, 5:30 p.m.

................College Financial Aid Meeting @ Mall Auditorium, 7 p.m.

11 .............Alumni Night: Boys Basketball@ South Gym, 5:30 p.m.

12............T.U.B.A. Holiday Concert @ Mall Auditorium, 2 p.m.

13............Winter Choral Concert @ Mall Auditorium, 3 p.m.

15-17......Semester Final Exams

18............Marking Day - no classes21............Winter Recess Begins

J A NU A R Y5 .............Classes resume6.............HFPA Meeting @ TLC, 6 p.m.................HFU for Parents: REBE/REBT

@ TLC, 7:15 p.m.7 .............H-F Parent Presentation

@ Parker Jr. High, 7 p.m.9.............H-F Steppers Show

@ Mall Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.12............H-F Foundation Meeting @ So.

Dist. Conference Room, 5:30 p.m.13............H-F Parent Presentation

@ James Hart School, 7 p.m.14 ...........Advanced Academics

Showcase @ South Building, 6:30 p.m.

16............FPAC Music Silent Auction @ South Cafeteria, 6 p.m.

18............Dr. MLK, Jr. Day - no classes25...........Tri-District Orchestra & Band

Concerts @ Mall Auditorium, 7 p.m.

26 ..........Tri-District Choral Festival @ Mall Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

28 ..........College Planning for Juniors

@ Mall Auditorium, 7 p.m.30..........Operation Snowflake

@ South Building, 6:30 a.m.................Summer School Registration

@ North Cafeteria, 8 a.m.

F E B RUA R Y3 .............HFPA Meeting @ TLC, 6 p.m.................HFU for Parents: Tech Tools

@ TLC, 7:15 p.m.................Winter Jazz Concert

@ Mall Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.8 .............Incoming Freshman Parent

Orientation @ Mall Auditorium, 6 p.m.

13............FPAC Community Pancake Breakfast @ South Cafeteria, 8 a.m.-Noon

................Incoming Freshman Registration@ South Building, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

15............Presidents’ Day - no classes18............Solo/Ensemble Strings &

Piano Concert @ Fine Arts Wing, 6 p.m.

25...........Solo/Ensemble Band Concert @ Fine Arts Wing, 5 p.m.

27...........Turnabout Dance @ Tuscany Falls, 8 p.m.

Dis

tr

ict

23

3 B

oa

rd

of

Ed

uc

at

ion

President Richard T. Lites

Vice President Dr. David Mayer

Debbie L. Berman, H-F ’84

Gerald Pauling, H-F ’85

Jody Scariano

Tim Wenckus

Dr. John Farrell

C O M M U N I T Y C A L E N DAR


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