Dear SFHS Alumni,

Happy Thanksgiving! The spirit of gratitude has been filling our hallways here at SFHS as we prepare for special memories with family and friends this holiday season.

This year, our students and faculty brought that spirit to life through a special project. Four extra-large trees (created by art teacher Ann Pasteur) are up in the windows of the Student Union, and students filled them with maple leaf cut-outs expressing what they are thankful for. It’s been a beautiful, tangible reminder of our blessings, especially the blessing of our students themselves.

SFHS is a unique place where our Catholic values are celebrated by our entire school community. We deeply appreciate you, our alumni, and we hold you and your loved ones in our prayers this Thanksgiving season.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at St. Francis High School!

Todd Shaw '89

Alumni Relations

tshaw@

sfhscollegeprep.org

(630) 668-5800 x1143

Classes from ‘1s and ‘6s – it's time to organize your reunion! We're here to help, please reach out to start planning your event.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and our talented alumni musicians who performed at the 2025 Mass of Remembrance! Musicians included: Ethan Naling ‘21, Emma Donlevy ‘20, Annemarie Novack ‘20 Bauer, Chris Bauer ‘18, Michael Deaton ‘14, Marirose Rueth ‘16, Mary Ann Rogers ‘75, Grace Neigel ‘09, Kira Savegnago ‘16, Anna Jurich ‘12 Megleo, Anne Vogel ‘16, Eileen Tobin ‘00, Christopher Nemeth ‘67, Eillen Tibble, and Matt Tibble '95.

Our annual production of A Christmas Carol is coming up December 5-7! Ticket sales open at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, November 28, at https://sfhscollegeprep.ludus.com.

Performance Dates

• Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 6 at 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, December 7 at 1:30 p.m.

Music Ensemble (Rock Band) is playing at Sturdy Shelter Brewing from 7:00-10:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, for an annual Christmas Break gathering of SFHS friends, faculty, and alumni. Sturdy Shelter is owned by a member of the SFHS family - the Mercadantes. We hope to see you there!

Also, Save the Date for the Alumni Theatre Night on March 21, 2026! More details to follow.

The SFHS Varsity Girls Basketball team is returning to Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Indiana, on Saturday, December 6, to play the ICCP Knights on the floor where the iconic movie Hoosiers was filmed. If you're interested in supporting the girls' trip, please click here. If you'd like to attend, email Coach Gerdeman at jgerdeman@sfhscollegeprep.org.

Our SFHS Girls Basketball Alumni Night is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 20, vs. Wheaton Academy at SFHS. We will recognize all alumni at halftime and have a short reception in the Atrium after the game with pizza and soft drinks. Please RSVP here if you can attend.

Henry Breyne '18 visited Dr. Juliano's Engineering class this week to share about his education and career trajectory. Henry was in the inaugural Intro to Engineering class during his time at SFHS and went on to attend Purdue University, graduating in 2022. He currently works for the Walsh Group in construction engineering. Thank you for visiting us and sharing with our students, Henry!

Spartan Football advanced to the Championship Game of the IHSA Finals! They play Providence Catholic High School at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 29, at Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University. Purchase tickets here.

Not able to attend? Watch the game live on WCIU, The U (Channel 26.1, Xfinity 183/1026, Astound TV 6, Dish 26, DirecTV 26, DirecTV Stream, Spectrum Charter 22/616, U-Verse 10/1010, YouTube TV and FuboTV.)

All alumni are also welcome to join us for our pre- and post-game celebrations!

• Thanksgiving Practice: 10:00 a.m.-noon Thursday, November 27. The entire Spartan community is invited to Kuhn Memorial Stadium to watch the team practice before the big game.
• Team Send-Off: 1:30 p.m. Friday, November 28. Make a sign, clap and cheer, and send off the team in Spartan style! All are welcome to join us in the SFHS parking lot as the team leaves for Bloomington-Normal.
• Post-Game Celebration: 4:30 p.m. Saturday, November 29, at SFHS in Spyglass Athletic Center. Welcome our team back to campus for a brief reception with photo opps.

Click here for the email we sent on Monday with more game day details.

The Rock Band rocked the ISU Redbird Arena last weekend - they were the House Band at the IHSA State Finals for Girls Volleyball! Way to represent! #SpartanProud Photos courtesy Laura Gnorski

Congratulations Girls Cross Country for placing 2nd at the IHSA State Girls Cross Country Meet! And a special shout-out to Elena M. '27 (8th Place) and Erin H. '27 (11th Place) on their All-State Placements. Of special note, two of the coaches are SFHS Alumni: Head Coach Jason Accardi '96 and Shannon Moran '18.