April 29, 2025

You may have noticed the ATM near the cafeteria has been removed. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. The decision to remove it was made by the Kane County Credit Union. They cited the following risks as a result of their recent compliance audit:

• Increased vulnerability to fraud - The machines have been flagged as vulnerable to Skimming devices and “Hook & Chain Attacks,” and unfortunately, the existing software cannot be upgraded to mitigate the Skimming device risk.
• Cash management concerns - The current process does not provide the necessary safeguards to ensure full reconciliation of cash flow between our financial institution and our ATM provider. This poses a potential risk to cash tracking and overall security.

We don’t have any evidence that there has been wrongdoing with our ATM, but rather, the risks were flagged by their auditing team. 

Our next step is to identify prospective banking partners who would offer an ATM at our site. We suspect this process will take some time. For now, if you need cash, please connect with staff to see if they can stop at an ATM while on a trip offsite.

Last week, the Health Office shared important information about measles, a highly contagious virus that has been reported in 26 states since January of 2025. On April 23, 2025, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced a confirmed case of measles in Illinois.

While no cases have been reported at IMSA or the surrounding area, we want to ensure everyone is informed about prevention, vaccination, and exclusion guidelines as a proactive measure to protect the health and safety of our school community.

We are excited to announce that applications for the National Honor Society (NHS) are now available! NHS recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. If you are passionate about making a positive impact in your community and committed to upholding high academic and personal standards, we encourage you to apply.

Please be sure to read all instructions carefully before submitting your application. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Dr. Anita White.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 4 at 11:59 p.m.

Upcoming Senior Events

Please note the updated Senior Events timeline.

The Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs, has announced that the IMSA team "IMSACapital" (Siddharth Karuturi '27, Matthew Park '27, and Aadarsh Sivaraman '27) placed third in the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge State Finals. 

​This competition is designed to encourage financial literacy among high school students by providing students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of personal finance in real-world scenarios.​

FRC Robotics World Championship

The IMSA FRC team, Titan Robotics, was honored to compete among the best at the FIRST World Championship Robotics Competition in Houston, Texas, earlier this month. The team finished with a 3-7 record in their ten qualifying matches, ranking 64th of 76 teams in their division. While they were not selected to advance to division playoffs, their estimated world ranking is now 503 out of over 3690 teams, making them IMSA's highest ranking robotics team ever! Congratulations to the team on a record-breaking season!

Earlier this month, Netra Rameshbabu '25 presented at the Advanced Innovation Research Show at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, the nation’s leading edtech and AI conference. Selected by SureStart and MIT RAISE, she was one of fifteen students invited to showcase her AI-driven social impact project, KineX, to an audience of educators, investors, and tech leaders on the conference's main stage.

KineX is an AI-powered virtual physical therapist designed for student-athletes. Using computer vision and pose estimation data, the platform delivers real-time feedback and personalized recovery plans to improve rehab outcomes and injury prevention.

Her presentation drew strong interest from founders and investors, marking a key milestone in scaling KineX as an emerging healthtech startup.

Meet Dr. Linda Hefferin, Academic Support Specialist and ADHD Certified Educator

Interacting with students is the best part of my day! As the Academic Support Specialist, I collaborate with students and their families to develop tailored education plans that include academic accommodations. This process starts with understanding a student’s diagnosis to ensure IMSA can provide the best support.

When I draft an education plan, I share it with the student and the family for feedback. Next, I schedule an education plan meeting with the student, parent/guardian, teachers, Residential Counselor (RC), College and Academic Counselor (CAC), and myself. Follow-up meetings occur each semester to ensure that accommodations support the student's needs.

I also help coordinate accommodations from the College Board and/or ACT, and support Dr. Anita White in connecting IMSA advocates with students to offer guidance on navigating the Academy.

I am consistently impressed and inspired by our students' creativity and passion for learning. In some small way, I hope I am helping “ignite and nurture their creative, ethical, scientific minds to advance the human condition.”

Feel free to reach out to me at lhefferin@imsa.edu, or 630.907.5677. You can also come visit me in A107a.

Join us for an event focused on breaking the stigma around mental health in the Asian community! Special guest and professional chef Art Ledda will share his passion for mental health advocacy. Enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments.

Get ready to unleash your competitive spirit and join the excitement for this fun-filled event. Students will have the chance to team up with friends from across campus and compete in a series of thrilling activities. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams!

There will also be activities for those not looking to compete in the team events! Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to make lasting memories and enjoy friendly competition!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Stephanie Broy (sbroy@imsa.edu) & Cam Doxey (cdoxey@imsa.edu). 

Race Talks

Thursday, May 1, 2025

7:00 p.m.

IN2

Race Talks is an opportunity for all IMSA students to discuss the current racial climate at IMSA. The conversation will be facilitated by Social Justice Activist and Spoken Word Artist Marcus Sibley. Dinner will be provided.

Bring IMSA closer together wth mutual understanding and respect!

Sponosred by DEI, BHSC, CCE, and FOCUS

It’s almost here! The annual end-of-the-year “Friday Fest” during CABabunga will take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. PAC will be serving food from 5:45 - 7:00 p.m. We are feeding all of the IMSA students for this event, so we need lots of food donations and volunteers.

IMSA is the best path for college, and it's probably a neutral decision for college admissions. It's better for college preparation because of the rigorous coursework, unique access to research and internships, diverse club activities, living independently away from home, and connecting with a diverse group of students from all over the state. You can obtain some of these things in a local school, but there's a lot you can do at IMSA that's not available locally. 

However, for college admissions' sake, students might be near the top of their class in their local school if they stayed there, and not necessarily earn straight A's at IMSA. Colleges view IMSA as a more rigorous pathway, so they are more likely to choose students in the middle of our graduating class compared to being very selective among the top at a local school. So, choosing IMSA is about the experience you desire, nurturing your interests, and readiness for the future. 

You've chosen the harder path, and it'll pay off. We have learned from countless IMSA grads that they have a much easier time adjusting to the first year of college than their peers from elsewhere. It is not only easier, but IMSA alumni are also noticeable on campus and offered opportunities to do really meaningful work. The impact of the IMSA experience becomes more apparent once you realize what you are equipped to do after graduating. I hope you feel this same sense of pride and empowerment in the years ahead.

Students enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend with some outdoor activities! Dr. Glazer took a group of students to hike at Starved Rock, and another group joined State Representative Barbara Hernandez for a park clean-up day!

May Move-Out Information

If you have any questions about move-out procedures, please reach out to Student Affairs or your RC.

2025-2026 Academic Calendar

If you ever need to refer back to a previous Titan Tuesday, visit the Titan Tuesday Archive.

April 30 - SLX and Hollister Lecture

May 3 - Field Day

May 5 - 16 - AP Exams

May 16 - Prom

Notice of Nondiscrimination: IMSA prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator.