If you ever need to refer back to a previous Titan Tuesday,

visit the Titan Tuesday Archive.

It's a great time of year to express gratitude to those in our lives. If you would like to share a message of gratitude with someone making a difference in your life at IMSA, you can complete the gratitude form below. Each message will be shared with that person, accompanied by a digital graphic of your choice.

We hope everyone in the IMSA community has a restful and fulfilling Thanksgiving Break.

In the spirit of giving thanks, we want to recognize our wonderful Peer Tutors for the incredible support they provide throughout the year, especially at the end of the semester, when they generously make time to help others despite their own deadlines.

We’re excited to pass along this message of gratitude from thankful community members:

"Shout out to Jessican Jiang, Amber Hwang, and Kelsie Li, who have gone above and beyond with their time to our students, faculty, and staff. They have helped with targeted study sessions, work with students in the Math Department during the day, and meet with students in the residence halls in the evening.

They are very patient and use excellent methods to help break down the problem for me. They are so kind and try to relate to you."

Students enrolled in one or more IMSA courses that are being offered for dual credit with Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (SIUE) in our Fall or Spring semesters must complete the university's mandatory Sexual Harassment Training as 00a condition of their enrollment with the university by December 3. This is applicable to ALL IMSA Sophomores and Juniors, and many IMSA seniors.  

As a reminder, a list of which courses are being offered for dual credit with SIUE can be found on the Dual Credit page of IMSA's website. 

Directions:

• Access the training here 
• At the conclusion of the training, there is a form to complete. The form will ask the following:  
• Your name. Use your name as it appears in IMSA's PowerSchool records.
• An Optional 800#. Leave this blank. 
• Questions about the training module to check that you completed it. 

The IMSA Center for Artificial Intelligence invites Illinois high school students to participate in the second annual Power Pitch.AI Competition. This event challenges young innovators to pitch creative business ideas that integrate artificial intelligence. Participants will develop their entrepreneurial, design thinking, and problem-solving skills while competing for recognition as emerging leaders in innovation and technology. Any Illinois high school student is invited to register! 

Prizes:

• First Place: $500.00
• Second Place: $250.00
• Third Place: $100.00

Join us every B-Day for the return of AI Bytes from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the new AI Center, now located in the back of IN2! Meet amazing Alumni working in the AI field and enter for a drawing to win a $25 DoorDash Gift Card.

Here’s the Fall AI Bytes Lineup:

• December 2: "AI in the Legal Profession" Susan Massey '01 (Buckingham Business Law)

Questions? Email aicenter@imsa.edu

Poetic Justice

Poetry Slam

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

IRC

In collaboration with the Office of DEI, CCE, and Poetic Justice, the IRC will host the Poetic Justice Poetry Slam featuring IMSA alumni Dr. Cindy Lyles Reed '02.

The next book choice for the Parent Book Club will be The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop.

Book Summary

Adolescents are hardwired to explore and grow, and learning is mainly how they do this. But a shocking majority of teens are disengaged from school, simultaneously bored and overwhelmed. This is feeding an alarming teen mental health crisis. As kids get older and more independent, parents often feel powerless to help. But fear not, there are evidence-backed strategies to guide them from disengagement to drive, in and out of school.

All are welcome, whether you read the book or not!

Nitya Jayasankar '28 and Manvitha Lella '28 recently earned an outstanding recognition on an international stage. Their team won second place in the United States and third place in North America in the 2025 Oxford Founders Society Entrepreneurship Competition, a prestigious event that showcases innovative thinking and entrepreneurial problem-solving from young leaders around the world.

Congratulations to Nitya and Manvitha on this remarkable accomplishment!

The Girls’ Basketball Team closed out the annual Keith McIntosh Basketball Tournament with a thrilling 41–35 win over Elgin High School. Senior Kate Honchar delivered a standout performance, leading the Titans with an impressive 23 points. Former IMSA staff member and longtime basketball coach, Keith McIntosh, was also in attendance to celebrate the Titan victory.

Last week, French 2 students in Madame Kwiatkowski's class put both their advanced language skills and medical vocabulary to the test! Each student designed a unique “monster” featuring various medical maladies and injuries labeled in French. Acting as doctors, students rotated around the room to examine their classmates’ creations, completing medical charts where they recorded symptoms (il/elle a mal…), described how the injury occurred, and offered written medical advice and treatments (il faut…, je recommande…).

This hands-on activity gave students a fun and engaging way to improve health vocabulary and practice giving recommendations entirely in French.

I want to express my gratitude for being at IMSA. I think about all of the children around the country, and even around the world, who may not be stimulated in their academic environment —not due to lack of interest, but rather lack of resources and opportunity. I’m so grateful that IMSA exists to provide such a challenge and a desire to ignite and nurture students throughout the state, especially where opportunities are limited.

Every day I count my blessings, knowing I’m part of this extraordinary gift of opportunity. IMSA wouldn’t be IMSA if it weren’t for the people who make it remarkable. Thank you, parents, for sending your children and entrusting us to take care of their academic, social and emotional needs. Thank you, colleagues, for working tirelessly to make the IMSA experience extraordinarily unique and motivating for our students. And, thank you, students, for the energy and commitment you make to tackle new challenges. 

We all had choices to be part of a community school, and it’s our collective will, together, that makes IMSA a special place. I wish our families and colleagues a restful and joyful Thanksgiving holiday.

This January, a group of students will be taking a medical mission trip to Belize. Part of their work will include bringing much-needed supplies to help care for the residents. If you would like to donate to their trip, they are collecting the following items.

A collection box will be located in the Health Office after Thanksgiving break through January 7, 2026.

The National Community Service Award applications from the United Nations Association have been released! 

Students can create an account, insert service learning opportunities that have been completed, AND be rewarded for their hard work and dedication to their community and other communities around the at home or around the world. See previous IMSA award winners here and the IMSA profile here!

All community service activities between June 1, 2025, and April 15, 2026, can be counted.  Physical award packets will be mailed to IMSA in May!

Students and families, please review the following details carefully about the last two weeks of the Fall semester (December 8-12 and December 15-18)

Classes and Summative Assessments

• December 8-12 will maintain a regular class schedule. 
• Deadlines for major summative assessments in English, History/Social Science, World Languages, Wellness, and Fine Arts will be this week. 
• Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science will not have major summative assessments this week (ex, unit exams). 
• December 15-18 will have a modified schedule.
• Major summative assessments for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science will take place this week according to the posted schedule. 
• Summative assessments scheduled for the week of December 15 must be taken during the assigned slots and cannot be taken earlier. 
• If a student has two or more assessments scheduled for the same time slot, please contact the Principal’s Office at prinoffc@imsa.edu. If a student has three or more exams on the same day, they may request that the Principal’s Office reschedule one or more exams to a different date. 
• Thursday, December 18, will be reserved for make-ups and rescheduled assessments, as needed. 

Main Building Access and Move Out

• Students will remain in the academic building on December 16-17. When not participating in a summative assessment, students will have a menu of opportunities to engage around campus, including study halls, games, and physical fitness sessions. The menu of options will be made available before Thanksgiving. 
• Students will move out within 24 hours of their final scheduled summative assessment. 

We’ve added two important webinars to the CAC webpage: the FAFSA Webinar featuring an Illinois Student Assistance Commission presentation and the AP Exam Registration Webinar. Visit the page for more helpful college planning and AP resources.

Use the peer tutor website to find out more information about IMSA's peer tutors and how to get in touch with them. 

Contact Caleb Schlessler or Ms. Keck with questions about the Peer Tutor Program. 

November 26 - 29 - Thanksgiving Break

November 30 - Halls reopen at 3:00 p.m.

December 13 - Admissions Campus Tours

December 15 - 18 - Summative Assessments (special schedule)

December 18 - Halls close for Winter Break at 8:00 p.m.