Homecoming 2016




For a school and community that is so steeped in tradition, homecoming is an extremely special time for Glenbard West. Homecoming gives us a chance to honor and celebrate our distinguished alumni as well as showcase the talented students that currently attend Glenbard West.  Our Student Council works diligently to plan an exciting and action-packed week for students.  This year's Homecoming theme is  Candyland .  When walking through the halls 
you can feel the energy and see the school spirit as students dress for theme days, prepare 
for the parade, decorate the hallways, and our famous woodchucks build the bonfire.  We welcome our alumni back for the weekend's festivities and expect our students to show their overwhelming support at all the events.  Throughout  Homecoming week Student Council 
hosts activities before, after and even during the school day.  This year all the activities will 
be tied to Candyland some of these activities include spirit games during lunch, prize 
give-a-ways, "candy-grams" which are messages students can send to friends and much, 
much more.
 
One annual event is the Hallway Decorating where various clubs and activities are assigned a section of the school to decorate.  During Hallway Decorations each club will help transform the halls of West in to magical Candyland; their efforts help to get the entire building excited to celebrate Homecoming.  Additionally, staff judges visit each section and award a club a prize for the most spirited and best decorated.  

Students also have spirit days that Student Council plans and organizes.  This is a great and easy way for all students to get involved with the Homecoming Festivities.  Below are the themes:  
Monday, October 3
Spirit Day:     America/USA Day
Tuesday, October 4                        
Spirit Day:    Hawaiian Day
Wednesday, October 5       
Spirit Day:     Sports Jersey Wednesday
Thursday, October 6
Spirit Day:     Throwback Thursday (ie Jr high gear)               
Friday, October 7
Spirit Day:     Glenbard Gear    
 
Weekend Timeline:
Friday, October 7

Pep Rally in Biester Gym at 6 p.m.
  • Come support our activities and athletic programs at the Homecoming Pep Rally.  The Glenbard West cheer, dance and step teams will perform to get everyone in the spirit and ready for the Bonfire.
Bonfire - Duchon Field after the Pep Rally
  • The prestigious Woodchucks will be hard at work building the annual bonfire.  They cannot wait to see the school and community come together!
Saturday, October 8

Booster Pancake Breakfast  - Cafeteria -7 to 11:30 a.m.
Homecoming Parade - Main St. - 10 a.m.
  • This family friendly event showcases the best of Glenbard West past and present. Arrive early to get a good seat along the route.
Alumni Tours - 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
  • The tours allow alumni to revisit the very hallways they walked as students.  They provide a trip down memory lane as well as showing off some of the recent additions and improvements made at West.  Meet in front of the Main Office.  Use Circle Drive entrance.
Varsity Football Game - Duchon Field at 1:30 p.m.
Homecoming Dance - Biester Gym from 8 to 11 p.m.

Dr. David Larson,
Superintendent

Clubs, activities enrich students' high school experience

The beginning of the school year is a great time for students to get involved in clubs and activities, which help them explore interests and develop skills, tap into their creative side and make friends and lasting memories.
 
What are your fondest memories of high school? It's likely those memories are of times spent with friends in after-school activities.
 
Glenbard West's comprehensive education includes a multitude of clubs and activities that empower students to develop leadership skills, character and an appreciation for the value of service. There is a direct correlation between academic achievement and involvement in extracurricular activities. Our Board of Education goal is that by 2017-18, 80% of our students will participate in activities or athletics, an increase from a 71% participation rate in 2015-16.
 
Glenbard West has a club and activity that should appeal to everyone. There's everything from the Dance Team to Forensics to a Habitat for Humanity chapter, to a S.T.E.M. Club and much more. A complete listing of activities is available under the Students tab at glenbardWesths.org.
 
Our students' talents, work ethic, service to others and character impress me. These traits shine in clubs and activities. Clubs and activities enrich students' high school experience. I encourage you to review Glenbard West's various activities and discuss a new opportunity with your student. It can be daunting for some students, particularly underclassmen, to try something new. Encourage your son or daughter to pair with a friend and check out a club or activity. They will find that in a short time they have new friends and a new rewarding experience.
 
Athletic Department News-
 
 
West has had a great start to the school year with so many student athletes involved.  Once again, we have over 750 student athletes involved in fall sports who are constantly striving for success in the classroom and on the playing fields.  We are very appreciative of the entire West community that supports all of our programs.  We have a constant schedule of home events throughout the fall, so please check the most current schedules at http://il.8to18.com/glenbardwest. 


Many of our teams are off to outstanding starts.
Girls' Golf- District 87 Champions
Boys' Golf - Glen Oak Invite Champions
Boys' Cross Country- 4th Place at Fenton Early Bird Invite
Girls' Swim- Coop with South, next meet 9/28 at York       
Girls' Cross Country-Lake Park and Hinsdale Hornet/ Red Devil Invite Champions
Girls' Volleyball- 2nd Place Wheaton North Invite, current record 12-3
Girls' Tennis- 3rd Place at Downers South Team Tourney
Field Hockey- Gateway Classic Pool Champions
Boys' Soccer- IMSA Tourney Champions, current record of 5-1-2
Football- Current record 4-0

Thank you once again to the West Boosters who support all of our students at West in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.  Please look to sign up and participate in some way at the upcoming Oktoberfest on October 15 th .  More information can be found at www.gwboosters.com . 
Please note the weekend of October 8 th on your calendars.  This is Homecoming at West 
and we look forward to showcase our teams and school that represent pride, tradition, and excellence.
 
Tentative schedule for Athletic Events October 8th
 
            9:30 a.m.          Varsity Field Hockey vs. Naperville North at Memorial Field          
 
            11:15 a.m.        Sophomore Football vs. Oak Park River Forest at Duchon Field
 
            1:30 p.m.          Varsity Football vs. Oak Park River Forest at Duchon Field
 
Go WEST!
 

College Application Information - 
School Counseling Department

The School Counseling Department is excited to kick off college application season with several events for our upperclassmen.  First of all, as of the date of this newsletter, we have over 150 college representatives that have scheduled appointments to talk to Glenbard West students at the high school.  Please encourage your child to sign up for some colleges of interest through Naviance.  These are excellent opportunities for students to not only gather more information on numerous colleges right at school, but also to get a face to face meeting with the admissions representatives for specific colleges in which they may be applying.  In addition, it is important to note that the FAFSA application date for financial aid has moved
up by three months this year and becomes available October 1, 2016!  Financial aid for college is on a first come first serve basis, so the earlier you file the better.  There will be several workshops in the District to assist with this process if needed.

For seniors, School Counselors met with all their students on September 7th to review a detailed college application checklist and discuss the steps for requesting transcripts and 
letters of recommendation through Naviance.  In addition, we reviewed the time frame for admissions testing, essay writing, scholarship applications, and financial aid.  The following day School Counselors began meeting with Seniors in small groups to walk them through 
the Naviance and Common Application college application process.  We encourage all  
parents of seniors to have a discussion with your child regarding the meetings with their counselor and work with your student on their Naviance account to complete the Parent 
Input Form in order to share information to be included in letters of recommendation.

For Juniors, counselors continued the developmental process of college preparation by 
visiting English classrooms towards the end of September to work with students on college research and developing their activity resumes in Naviance.  In addition, we will hold our annual College Night on October 5th at 6 PM.  We invite all  juniors and their parents to 
join us as we convene in the auditorium for a welcome prior to dividing into several breakout sessions throughout the building.   We will hold 3 different sessions with the following 
options to choose from; 1) Admission to 2- and 4-year colleges with a senior student panel, 
2) College admission test informational session, 3) Financial Aid with Ruth Pusich from Elmhurst College, 4) Naviance Tutorial for Parents, 5) Admission to Highly Selective 
Colleges with Tricia Blumenthal from Vanderbilt University.  


Emergency School Closings or Important Announcements

If Glenbard West must close for any emergency, you will be contacted by an automated call using the telephone number and/or email address that we have on file in PowerSchool.  In addition, there will be announcements on our website and local radio stations may make an announcement.
 
We will also use our automated calling system for other important announcements during the school year, so it is extremely important that you have the right phone number and/or email address on file in PowerSchool.  

Student Recognition

National Merit Semifinalists
Hailey Ardell
Emma Erickson
Will Farley
Jacob Kelleher
Amrita Rajesh
Duncan Williams

National Merit Commended Students
Paige L. Dickson
Jack Hennessey
Julia Ilhardt
Britta Johnston
Annamarie Lombardo
Abdullah Mazher
Timothy Nielsen
Willa Ostroff
Annie Pasterz
Riley G. Pieper
Abigail M. Reichman
Katherine P. Snow
Suha Surapaneni
Andrew Swiston
Kevin Warmolts
Payton M. Wright
Annie A. Zhu

AP Seminar and Research Certificate
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher
in AP Seminar and AP Research

Paul Bischoff

AP Capstone Diploma
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher in AP 
Research and or four additional AP exams of their choosing.

Katharine Armstrong Elsah Boak Karla Bonic
Rafaela Brosnan Katharine Goleash Ian Hirsch
Madeline Howard Karin Kiker Cassie Kim
Abigail Ratkovich Nathaniel Sauers Geoffrey Shellady
Mathew Springer Sarah Swiston Alexandra Weston

AP International Diploma
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on five or more
AP Exams in three or more subject areas.
Timothy Nielsen
Tiffany Powell

National AP Scholar
Granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least
4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Soha AbdurRahman Amelia Benich Karla Bonic
Rafaela Brosnan Richard Church Arno Curtis
David Dabrowski William Dedmond Patrick Doyle
Victor Granata Madeline Howard Mario Hoxha
Julia Ilhardt Karin Kiker David Kucher
Heshaam Latifi Alexander Lettenberger Meredith Miscinski
Krishna Patel Kush Patel Peter Piatek
Tiffany Powell Abigail Ratkovich Kevin Schnur
Eric Shanahan Anna Stephan Andrew Swiston
Sarar Swiston


AP Scholar with Distinction
Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP
Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Soha AbdurRahman
Jonathan Altman
Israa Alzamli
Diana Andrade
Katharine Armstrong Emily Asselmeier
Umar Azfar
Jeremie Rose Barbosa
Allison Barry
Katherine Bassett
Amelia Benich
Shannon Berneche
Elizabeth Blevins Karla Bonic
Keith Briones
Rafaela Brosnan
Madeleine Burt
Fiona Byrne
Robert Bystry Margaret Carr Yimei Chen
Justin Chhoeun  Richard Church Alexi Cornella
Courtney Cosby Jessica Crane Owen Crawford
Arno Curtis David Dabrowski Mathew Dabrowski
William Dedmond Erin Delany Sarah Delany
William Delany Paige Dickson Henry Doyle
Patrick Doyle Joseph Elger Emma Erickson
Elizabeth Fagan Will Farley Claire Ficarella
Dominick Ficarella Nathan Fischer John Fruit
Lauren Glavin Katharine Goleash Nicolas Gonzalez
Lisette Gonzalez-Flores Victor Granata Spencer Green
David Gruba Asra Habibullah Paige Hardy
Jack Hennessey Landon Hershey Kellen Hinchey
Elizabeth Howard Madeline Howard Mario Hoxha
Julia Ilhardt Claudia Jackert Britta Johnston
Arylan Kamath Katherine Karp Jacob Kelleher
Michael Kellenberger Fahad Khan Taskeen Khan
Karin Kiker Cassie Kim Kyler Kotsakis
Samantha Krolick David Kucher Theodore Larsen
Heshaam Latifi James Leonard Alexander Lettenberger
Marion Lewandowski Owen Loftus Nicholas Lombardo
Hailey Malone Maryjoy Maltizo Christa Matundan
William May Abdullah Mazher Mary McDermott
Sean McHale Meredith Miscinski Eric Neumann
Timothy Nielsen Samuel Noland Ellen O'Brien
Sean O'Brien Willa Ostroff Krishna Patel
Kush Patel Peter Piatek Justin Pierce
Tiffany Powell Amanda Predki Maha Qureshi
Amrita Rajesh Abigail Ratkovich Madison Ratkowski
Abigail Reichman Caitlyn Reick Michael Ruby
Brenden Ryan Isabella Salafatinos Nathaniel Sauers
Maxwell Schmidt Kevin Schnur Eric Shanahan
Abigail Shaver Emma Shaw Megan Sheline
Geoffrey Shellady Mathew Springer Bennett Sproat
Lily Stachowiak Sydney Steger Anna Stephan
Suha Surapaneni Elaine Swatek Andrew Swiston
Sarah Swiston Mohammed Syed Megan Torti
William Tran Abbey Trippel Marin Walor
Kevin Warmolts Kevin White Hannah Wilgenbusch
Emma Winans Gabriella Wind Gabrielle Winter
Payton Wright Michael Yangas Daniel Zeboski
Annie Zhu Michael Zybko


AP Scholar with Honor
Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP
Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Hailey Ardell Soraya Batty Paul Bischoff
Kathleen Blyth Kezia Marie Briones Shayne Burns
Alyssa Carlson Leah Carter Maxwell Carter
Ryan Coleman Rebekah Karis Crail Waverly Del Valle
Rebecca Dala Cruz Davis Dikker Katherine Dillman
Justin Dittburner Katherine Dorsey Harris Droessler
Anna Enright Gabrielle Evans Hiba Farid
Sean Farmer Carolyn Ford Mariana Galiga
Emma Goebbert Grace Goebbert Allison Gould
Lindsay Graham Colin Griffin Kilian Hammersmith
John Mermiller Ian Hirsch Clare Hoerster
Eric Horvath Briana Hryhorysak Sarah Jacobo
Louis Jiricek William Kalivas Kyle Keane
Robin Kelly Kolin Kennebeck Avery Kiker
Hannah Laing Maria Landi Paige Lane
Cameron Lilly Rudy Litavsky Madisson MacIsaac
Sean Maloney Ashley Mathew Yanni Mihalopoulos
Rachel Mulcrone Olivia Mullenax Lydia Nesslar
Kaitlyn Ohrnstein Kevin Pallikunnel Annie Pasterz
Corinne Payne Nicholas Peraino Stephanie Perez
Allison Perry Simon Peterson Joseph Riley
Karla Rojas Michael Rossy Asha Rowland
Andrew Ruffo Jacob Ryba Michael Saguto
Francesca Sailer Max Savino Avery Scott
Abigail Simon Samantha Skirvin George Smith
Katherine Snow Mauro Spadavecchia Kevin Tarczon
Sydney Taylor Grant Tecson Michael Tran
Maria Valdez Grace Wagner Kathryn Wagner
Michael Walker  Claire Wild Duncan Williams
Melissa Yim Amber Zayed Adam Zybko


AP Scholar
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exam s.

Emaad Ahmed
Andrea Aldrete
Muhammad Anwar
Sean Baker Allison Ball Amy Banach
Nicole Berneche Kathleen Bertoia Emmett Billings
Elsah Boak Paul Bonokollie Sophie Bouton
Taylor Bradfield Riley Braselton Clayton Burket
Jennifer Burns MaryClaire Carlson Jack Chandler
Sarah Cholewinski Grant Clampitt Nicole Clapp
Laine Cohen Kelly Condon Cailey Cranny
Lauren Daggett Jake Dayton Justin Debs
Joseph DeGrace Matteo DiMarco Nicholas Diver
John Dugan Jonathan Eichin Parker Esposito
Luke Evangelista Cate Fanning Amad Farooq
Alexa Fausey Luke Favia Megan Fawcett
Jack Fiegl Julia Filmer Eaton Ford
Elijah Fortenberry Brianna Gasca William Gibson
Charlotte Graham Kathryn Graham Angela Green
Austin Green Samantha Gregory Adam Grimm
Caleb Hadley Nicholas Halford Elliot Hamilton
Erin Hernandez Francisco Herrera Rachel Hoder
Ryan Holm Andrew Howard Max Hufnagle
Molly Hughes Samuel Huhta Hannah Jackman
Jack Kelly Jenna Kelly Aaron Kemp
Kathryn Kenwood Eleanor Kitcheos Hannah Klonowski
Kathryn Kostolansky Tyler Kraus Sean Lapano
John Liptak Catherine Lombardi Annamarie Lombardo
Samantha Lucero Samuel Lukins Zachary Lutz
Michael Maganini Ellen Maloney Marygrace Maltizo
Ethan Marchetti Kate McDermott Ian T. McDonald
John McDonnell Bridget McGregor Esteban Mendoza
Elle Menzel Adam Miller Christopher Minnec
Abigail Moody Claire Morawski Connor Mullins
Ebad Maqtader Jack Murphy Sharon Murrey
Elizabeth Nelson Sean Nickoley Jennifer Orozco
Hallie Park Alexander Passi Michael Paterakis
Tyler Pathradecha Ryan Paul Riley Pieper
Amanda Posegay Kellyn Powers Katie Quain
Carl Raczka Michelle Rawls Camden Repking
Isaac Reynoso Matthew Rindler Michael Rivas
Diana Rivera Zoha Rizvi Margaret Rohrer
Aldrin Roman McKenna Rose Zayd Saeed
Camaryn Sapienza Andrew Scheller John Schoenfeld
Christina Sedall Benjamin Serrato Matthew Shoub
Taylor Spencer Quinn Spiech Christian Stout
Connor Strait Concetta Syracuse Corrina Szabo
Michael Tillman Jason Torres Brenda Toscano
Kimberly Truong Alexys Turmac Claire Tylke
Jacob Valdick Brenda Vazquez-Hernandez Juan Villa
Kaela Villafania Tess Viola Derek Wang
Emma Walsh Timothy Waterman Alexandra Weston
Kate Wyant Gabriella Zaffer Grace Zemenak


Staff Recognition
 
INSPRA Award Winners
The Illinois Chapter of the National Public Relations
Association's Communications Contest is the only
award program in Illinois that honors high quality
 school communications that promote a school
district's mission and message.
 
Student Planner - Castle Keys
Chris Mitchell, Assistant Principal for Student Services
Wendy Rosario, Assistant to APSS 
 
Glenbard West Clubs and Activities Handbook
Chris Mitchell, Assistant Principal for Student Services
Wendy Rosario, Assistant to APSS

Glenbard Professional Growth Programs guide
Lorie Cristofaro, Jeff Feucht, John Healy, Rebecca Sulaver and Joan Witkus



DATES TO REMEMBER

September
 
26        PLC Early Dismissal - 1:52 p.m.
29        Fall Band Concert - Aud. - 7:30 p.m.

October
 
3          PLC Early Dismissal at 1:52 p.m.
            Freshman Orientation 1:52 - 2:35 p.m.
5          College Night - Auditorium - 6:00 p.m.
7          Homecoming Pep Rally/Bonfire 6 p.m.
8          Booster Pancake Breakfast - Cafeteria - 7 to 11:30 a.m.
            Homecoming Parade - Main St. - 10 a.m.
            Homecoming Dance - Biester Gym - 8 to 11 p.m.
10        NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day
11        NO SCHOOL - Institute Day
12        AMP Meeting - Choir Rm. - 8 p.m.
17        PLC Early Dismissal at 1:52 p.m.
20        Fall Choral Concert - 1st Methodist Church - 7:30 p.m.
            Booster Meeting - Library - 7:30 p.m.
21        End of 1st Quarter

 
 
 
Look for information on how to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences in the next Principal's Newsletter October 3, 2016.


 






 
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital
World/ Raising Digital Natives
Speaker: Devorah Heitner PhD
Glenbard West 7:00 p.m. Auditorium
 

 
Monday Oct 17, 2016
FAFSA  (Bring Necessary Forms) Spanish and English
Financail Aid Completion Assistance
6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
AND Study Skills Seminar and Strategies to Succeed:
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Glenbard North
 



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Glenbard West High School
[email protected]
http://www.glenbard.wesths.org