ePawPrints
News and Information from Community High School District 128
District News
Board Meeting Schedule Available to Add to Your Google Calendar
The D128 Board of Education meeting schedule can be found at this link. Once you are on that page, simply scroll down the page, click "View as Calendar" and then Google users can click the blue "+Google Calendar" icon to add it to their own Google calendar.
Fundraising Opportunity Supports Students Attending Civil Rights Field Trip
D128 is premiering a new course–African American Studies– at both Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School in the 2022-23 school year. The semester-long course includes a place-based, immersive civil rights field trip that will supplement the curriculum. In preparation for the field trip, D128 staff members participated in the tour, “Atlanta and Beyond: The Civil Rights Movement,” in spring of 2022 to develop this student trip. They describe the experience as life changing. Following the trip, staff members provided input on how it can be tailored to best meet the needs of high school learners. The planned tour will include the following destinations and sites:
Atlanta Locations
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birth Home
Ebenezer Baptist Church Museum
APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience) Museum
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Spelman College, Morehouse College, and/or Clark Atlanta University
Birmingham Locations
16th Street Baptist Church
Kelly Ingram Park
Selma Locations
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Tuskegee Locations
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
Tuskegee University
Montgomery Locations
The Legacy Museum
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice
The approximate cost of the Civil Rights field trip is $2,500. We are excited to provide a fundraising opportunity to support students who may not be able to afford all or part of the expenses associated with the trip.
Your donation will make it possible for all students enrolled in the course to participate in the trip. The fund will continue to be available to support students in need who enroll in the course in the future. Donations may be tax deductible.
Community Education
Community Education Classes offered through Sept. 25
The Fall 2022 term will include 224 classes both in-person and live online held on weeknights and on the weekend for adults and youth. Registration is now open. Visit comed128.org for class descriptions and to register.
Foundation for Learning
BIG EVENT 2022
The Foundation will host its annual benefit, THE BIG EVENT, on Saturday, Nov. 5 at White Deer Run in Vernon Hills. The evening will feature live entertainment by Chicago Dueling Pianos, appetizers and Desserts, a silent auction, students in need fundraising and more! All proceeds benefit programs for the students of LHS and VHHS.
Click on the image below to order your tickets for this year's BIG EVENT fundraiser today!
Alums Making News
Childers Named to Most Famous Celebrity Fan List
Chris Childers (LHS ‘00) was named to Big Game Boomer’s “Most Famous Celebrity Fan for Every School” list as the most famous celebrity fan for Middle Tennessee State University. Childers, pictured at right, is a sports talk radio host with SiriusXM.
VHHS News
VHHS Library Named Exemplary School Library
The VHHS Library Media Center was named an Exemplary School Library by the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE). Established in 2018, the award recognizes school libraries throughout the state that exemplify the standards set forth in Linking for Learning–a book that includes school library teaching standards determined by AISLE and approved by ISBE. Six schools were named Exemplary School Libraries this year. VHHS Librarian Monica Caldicott will receive the honor at an award presentation at the AISLE conference in November.
VHHS School Resource Officer Honored
VHHS School Resource Officer Dan Mead received the 2022 Lake County Juvenile Officer Exceptional Performance Award. He was nominated by his peers. The award recognizes Officer Mead’s demonstrated commitment to the youth of Lake County and his significant contributions to promote the advancement of the juvenile system in Lake County. Officer Mead is in his third year as the VHHS SRO, and will start his 24th year with the Vernon Hills Police Department in January. Officer Mead is pictured below (at right) with his VHPD colleagues Deputy Chief Shannon Holubetz (left) and Detective Stacy Seversen (center).
Don't Miss Kick Off 2022!
Student Council’s first event of the year, Kick Off, is coming up on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 7:30-10:00 p.m. outside the stadium! There will be a live DJ, dancing, outdoor games, and the Kona Ice Truck! Seniors will be performing in the lip-sync competition so be sure to bring your cell phone to vote for the winner. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $10.
We hope to see you all there and kick off the school year!
Saturday, Aug. 27
7:30-10:00 PM
VHHS Stadium (on Rust-Oleum field)
VHHS Students only!
Student ID required
Cash only at the door
Casual dress
Peer Tutors Available in the VHHS ARC
The VHHS Academic Resource Center (ARC) , located next to the library, is open daily from 8:00 am. to 4:00 p.m. Students who need academic support in any academic area are highly encouraged to visit the ARC. Peer tutors and teachers (science and math) are available throughout the day. A VHHS staff member will facilitate the tutoring and support sessions and welcome your student to the ARC. As a reminder, a late bus option is available to all students at 4:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Athletics
Support the Varsity Football Fundraiser at Hitz Pizza on Sept. 10
Mark your calendar and help support the VHHS Varsity Football Fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 10. Enjoy lunch or dinner (or both!) at Hitz Pizza 700 Butterfield Road, Mundelein, and Hitz will donate 15% of proceeds to VHHS Varsity Football. Please show the flyer below to your server or mention that you are with the fundraiser. Applies to dine in and pick up only (not delivery) Thank you for your support!
Girls Golf
LHS Invite
Shepherd's Crook Golf Course
VHHS finished 3rd place out of 6 teams with a score of 345
Lexi Schulman shot a 1 under par 70 which tied for 1st place. This is the 2nd lowest 18 hole score in team history behind Lexi's 67 in 2019.
Anna Lee shot a 77 which was 4th place.
Other scores to count were Katelyn Ralph with a 98 and Nitya Mehta with 100.
Lake County Invite
Bittersweet Golf Club
VHHS finished 2nd out of 16 teams with a score of 337 which is the lowest team score in program history.
Lexi Schulman shot a 2 under par 70 which was 1st place in a field of 96 golfers.
Anna Lee shot a 78 which tied for 3rd place
Other scores to count were Carrie Eum with a 93 and Nitya Mehta with a 96.
Dual match vs. Mundelein
Vernon Hills Golf Course
Team score of 163 beats all-time record by 8 shots.
Anna Lee 2 under par 33 tied 9 hole record of Lexi in 2019.
LHS News
Frau Lechner Chosen as Presenter at International German Teachers Conference
LHS German Teacher Heidi Lechner recently returned from a week in Vienna at the International German Teachers Conference (IDT). The conference takes place every four years but due to COVID, was delayed for two years.
The conference, held on the campus of the University of Vienna, was comprised of 3,000 German teachers from 100 countries. "I never imagined presenting internationally and felt so supported by the audience," said Lechner. "Mine was one of 25 presentations selected out of 90 applicants to share my experiences of teaching German with an "edutainment" flair. Lechner explained that "Edutainment" is a term derived from a combination of "education + entertainment" and builds upon the idea of play-based learning, both through digital and analog games. Creating a playful, interactive and slightly competitive classroom lowers the affective filter that causes student anxiety in speaking a foreign language. Students therefore take risks in speaking German right from the start of their learning and focus on comprehension over accuracy.
After five days of listening, sharing and workshopping with colleagues, Lechner shared that she can honestly say that D128 is a forerunner in education and student support.
Lechner has taught a diverse unit on Vienna for the last few years, despite never having visited. The week before leaving for the conference, one of her former students emailed and said, "Frau Lechner- I was in Vienna this summer and had so much fun discovering 'Frau's city'." "This obviously teaches us that much can be learned and gleaned from internet resources but also that it had an impact on one student. Now that I have been to Vienna, I imagine my unit will take on even more dimension," said Lechner. Images from her trip are below.
Green Dot Training Begins
LHS students participated in the first Green Dot training of the new school year on Aug. 25. Green Dot seeks to reduce interpersonal power-based violence such as bullying, dating violence and sexual assault. Visit this link to learn more.
Wildcat Health & Mental Wellness Needs Your Feedback by Aug. 29
Welcome back, LHS Parents!
We hope the transition back to school has been smooth. Change can be challenging as well as exciting! Wildcat Health & Mental Wellness (WHMW) is a parent organization advocating for positive mental health for D128 families and community members in the Libertyville and surrounding areas. Our goal is to build community and support by offering education, resources and connection.
Every year, we look to your feedback for building content for our monthly panels, speaker series and Q&A discussions. Please know that Survey responses are kept anonymous. Please share your thoughts by completing this SURVEY and submit the form by Monday, Aug. 29. THANK YOU for being a part of this effort!
Please follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our monthly emails here.
Looking forward to meeting you at our monthly meetings!
Warm regards,
Stacie Nevins, Hideko Szymanski & Joy Bach
ESP Fall Bulb Fundraiser Supports Students in Need
The LHS Educational Support Personnel (ESP) fundraises annually to help LHS students whose families could benefit from additional financial support. Funds are used to purchase gift cards or issue checks to those families. Please consider purchasing Fall flower bulbs. We are partnering with Three Rivers wreath & plant company. Thank you for your continued support
How it works
Place Orders between Aug. 1 - Sept. 28, 2022
50% profit on every package sold
All orders are placed online
All orders ship directly to you - Bulbs begin shipping in early October
The flat rate shipping charge is $10
Click on this link to visit the Fall Flower Bulb Fundraiser order page. Our Fundraising group code is 5FB27C.
Athletics
Congratulations to our Wildcat of the Week!
Sophia Thedos, Sophomore - Poms
Sophia is a sophomore and this is her first year on the LHS Dance Team. Sophia has been an amazing addition to the LHS dance team program - not only because of her dance talent, but because of her work ethic. Only knowing Sophia for a couple of months, it is extremely evident that she holds a leadership position on this team by being prepared for practice, a friend to all team members, and constantly trying to improve herself. Not only can she memorize and perform dances well, but she always does it with a smile. Her commitment to the program has been above and beyond these past couple of weeks, and I cannot wait to see her growth throughout the season.