MCHS Newsletter
September, 2023
HONOR ROLLS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the following students who achieved Honor Roll and High Honor Roll last year during the second semester.
Class of 2024 High Honor Roll
Elizabeth Adams, Sydney Andrews, Grant Aubry, Leo Bankel, Rune Boyd, Miya Castillo, Morgan Cetera, Chase Davis, Mahala Englehart, Niko Enriquez, Owen Frederick, Isabella Frohling, Alejandro Gerardo, Trever Harp, Amanda Harris, Alana Hartel, Ava Kanaly, Christopher Kunzer, Anna Kunzer, Mia Kuzelka, Cadence Leucht, Emma Leucht, Dylan Locke, Jenny Loyo, Evan Maniates, Ryker Markus, Madelyn Miceli, Paola Montes, Jhonatan Morejon Cortez, Hir Patel, Marcus Ray, Alondra Saldana Padilla, Caden Sauder, Cody Stallings, Zoey Vallee, Aryana Velasquez, Noe Villasano, Tess Volkers, Emily White, and Marissa Young.
Class of 2024 Honor Roll
Ryley Adamson, Isaac Anthony, Cadence Burger, Samantha Conroy, Samantha Correa, Lilli Ghastin, Elizabeth Gomez, Amanda Griffin, Drew Johnson, Emily Kirchhoff, Mason Lampe, Gage Lopez, Madalyn Mardock, Erika Montes Xelhua, David Munoz, Victor Perez, Athan Poggas, Kevin Ponce, Savannah Scholfield, Rylan Smith, Eldarion Sobusiak, Carson Van Winkle, Keatyn Velasquez, and Adam Wigman.
Class of 2025 High Honor Roll
Gaia Barnhurst, Kayla Bauman, Dayna Carr, Lydia Cieslak, Julia Cieslak, Nikole Czepczynski, Sara Czepczynski, Brooke Dreher, Gabrielle Gieseke, Elayna Goode, Paige Haggard, Payton Hamblen, Alixandra Hartmann, Colin Heinz, Mikayla Heldt, Pablo Herrera, Kylee Jensen, Quinn Lechner, Andrea Mandujano, Jacob McCarthy, Ryan McKee, Carly Musschoot, Jillyan Ortega, Hunter Pankow, Emilie Polizzi, Aidan Pollnow, Alyssa Pollnow, Allison Raether, Brock Riebock, Ian Sackis, Addison Sanchez, David Sanchez, Lawson Schmidt, Taylor Schumann, Ryan Shaver, McKinley Shines, Sydnee Slavin, Annara Sobusiak, Amelia Splinter, Devin Storti, Vivian Szostak, Samantha Tuohey, Huberto Villagran, and Justin Zarate.
Class of 2025 Honor Roll
Alten Bergbreiter, Josephine Christiansen, Sedona DeRose, Sean Ettner, Dolton Fredrickson, Wiatt Gelly, Madelyn Gieseke, Brooke Glander, Morgan Grindle, Evan Halfacre, Morgan Hasa, Daniel Kazmer, Nicholas Koziol, David Lopez, Perla Lopez, Amy Pineda, Natalie Quirk, Lincoln Schulman, Autumn Shacklee, Amirah Timoumi, Madalyn Tjaden, Kayla Torres, Rochelle Tremmel, and Helenna Zont.
Class of 2026 High Honor Roll
Jessica Abeyta, Paige Aubry, Myles Aukes, Lexavier Bahena, Charlotte Bown, Riley Cetera, Payton Coffman, Alexis Harris, Regan Heimsoth, Alexander Johnson, Sean Keller, Luis Lievano Penaloza, Daschle Mardock, Sakae Marquez, Elizabeth Meyers, Mandie Polizzi, Logan Smyk, Elijah Steele, Chantalle Villasano, and Elizabeth White.
Class of 2026 Honor Roll
Jace Ball, Owen Bills, Ryan Bittenbender, Maxwell Broughton, Rebekah Butzow, Alexa Bzowy, Gabrielle Christopher, Charlotte Conroy, Gerardo Gonzalez Prado, Ryan Grismer, Sarah Guerrero Juarez, Brayden Kentgen, Rowan Kunzer, Finley Kunzer, Jacob Leidig, Jett Lesiak, Jude Lubas, Kloey Mazur, Kayla Miller, Charles Moore, Jada Nichols, Riley Nowak, Suzanna Reck, Ariana Rodriguez, Connor Sacco, Karlyn Stratton, Brooke Ulen, and Olivia Walter
DRIVER EDUCATION: BEHIND-THE-WHEEL
Semester 1 registration has begun. Any junior or senior who has not taken behind-the-wheel and wishes to do so should email Mr. Fecarotta their name and permit number (example: DL No. #F123-4567-8910) as soon as possible.
CAR SHOW
We had a great day for our 4th Annual Hot Rod High School Car Show. Awesome show cars and motorcycles, hot tunes from Pat the DJ from 3D sound, delicious food from Big D’s Hotdogs, and Kona Ice, most importantly it was a fun community event. We had 110 registered show vehicles for the community to come to admire. We gave out over 30 beautiful trophies and plaques, with the best of show going to Rudy Stynoski with his 1919 Ford T Touring. We would like to thank our major sponsors for making this all possible (Corporate Sponsors: PPG and Marengo NAPA) (Gold Sponsor: Marengo Auto Body, Marengo Customs, and Boone County Auto Body), (Silver Sponsor: Marengo Signs, Hyperstitch, and Your Supply Depo), (Bronze Sponsors: Joe's Place and Wholesome pet) and our many local businesses who supported us with raffle items. Thank you! We couldn’t do it without you. All proceeds go to help Marengo High School students cover the cost of competing at SkillsUSA competitions. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.
FALL PLAY
The MCHS Theatre Department will produce War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast by Joe Landry this November. The play, which is set in a 1930's radio station, depicts the real events that unfolded when voice actors broadcast "news" of an alien invasion that caused widespread panic across parts of the United States. Auditions will take place Wednesday, September 6th after school in the Auditorium. The production will be November 16-18, 2023.
HOMECOMING 2023!
Homecoming week at MCHS begins Monday, September 18 and will culminate with our football game on Friday, September 22. Homecoming week will kick off with hallway decorating based on our chosen theme: “Lights, camera, HoCo! Welcome to the Movies.” On Tuesday students will have spirit games complete with powderpuff football competitions and the annual Tug-O-War showdown at the football field. Parents are welcome to attend! On Friday, students nominated for Homecoming Court will be recognized during halftime of the varsity football game and the winners will be announced. Throughout the week students will enjoy an ice cream social, food truck, and of course, dress up days to help decide which class will win the spirit stick! We hope to see everyone out at the sporting events helping to cheer on MCHS!
FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
This is a friendly reminder that according to the Child and Student Health Examination and Immunization Code a second dose of meningococcal vaccine is required after the 16th birthday. Please submit proof of your child's second dose of meningitis prior to the October 15, 2023 deadline. Any questions please contact the school nurse, Ashley Kieser at 815-334-5852 or kiesera@mchs154.org.
MEET OUR SCHOOL NURSE
Ashley Kieser comes to us from District 300, where she was a school nurse floating between their elementary, middle, and high schools. She also worked at Mercy Harvard Hospital as an RN. Ashley believes that she is not just treating students' needs, but also strives to be a support system for them.
STUDENT SERVICES NEWS
FAFSA Application Available mid December, 2023
Description: FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is submitted to and processed by a federal processor contracted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The results are electronically transmitted to the financial aid offices of the schools listed on your application. FAFSA is the application used by nearly all colleges and universities to determine eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid, including grants, educational loans, and work-study programs.
Transgender students have the option to complete the Alternative application for state aid. This application is for students in Illinois who identify as transgender and allows them to apply for state financial aid but not federal aid. Here is the link to more information on this application: https://www.isac.org/Alternative-Application
Here is the link to the application itself: https://studentportal.isac.org/en/alternativeapp
Class of 2023:
FAFSA timeline has changed for the 2024-2025 school year! Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov in mid December of your Senior year. Apply for an FSA ID now (one for the student, one for the parent) at FSA ID link. Have the following with you. Failure to do so may result in not being able to complete the application.
- Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)
- Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
- Your driver’s license number if you have one
- Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
- Federal tax information, tax documents, or tax returns, including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
- IRS Form1040
- Foreign tax return or IRS Form 1040-NR
- Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
- Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
- Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you and for your parents if you are a dependent student
Senior Post Secondary Meetings: Counselors are currently meeting with seniors one-on-one to discuss credits, post secondary planning and “to do’s” for aligning goals and their final year of high school. Be sure to ask your students to share the information with you.
ASVAB: Optional for 10th, 11th, 12th grades students. September 27th. Contact Mr. Rode by Friday Septermber 8th if you are interested in taking this test, roden@mchs154.org or 815-334-5874.
This is a career interest test which can be used for general and military careers. Military interest is NOT required.
SAT: Optional for all Seniors on October 11, 2023. Contact Mr. Rode by Friday, September 8th if you are interested in retaking the SAT roden@mchs154.org or 815-334-5874. The cost of the test is $60 and the family would need to pay when signing up. The administration of the test will be on October 11th.
PSAT 8/9: For Freshmen on October 11, 2023. This assessment test is evidence-based reading, writing and language, mathematics, and essay writing. Scores are shared with students, parents, and teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. Students will be tested in the assigned Advisory groups unless there are pre-approved assessment accommodations.
PSAT/NMSQT For Juniors and Sophomores on October 11, 2023. This is a National test and may qualify students for scholarships. The results will be online through the students College Board account. The results will be online through the students College Board account.
College Visits: Please check the school website for College Reps visiting MCHS. More visits are being scheduled each day. Students can sit down with a representative from that college to review admissions criteria, majors, college life, scholarships, and much more.
ATHLETIC NEWS
Welcome from the Athletic Department!
We are very excited to have fall sports back and going in full force. We offer nine fall sports at MCHS: Football, Cheerleading, Girls Golf, Boys Golf, Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Boys Soccer, Boys Cross Country and Girls Cross Country.
We are very fortunate to have Lisa Ackley, administrative assistant, in the athletic office. She is going into her seventh year assisting the athletic department. Our athletic director, Dwain Nance, can be reached at (815) 568 - 6511 ext. 1612 or nanced@mchs154.org. Lisa can be reached at (815) 568 - 6511 ext. 1602 or ackleyl@mchs154.org.
The MCHS athletic website has a new address: https://schools.snap.app/Marengo. Snap, formerly known as 8 to 18, is our athletic website and has all the information that you will need. The website has our current, most up to date schedules, rosters and contact information.
MCHS competes in the Kishwaukee River Conference (KRC) that now has eight schools: Marengo, Harvard, Woodstock, Woodstock North, Richmond Burton, Johnsubrg, Sandwich and Plano. We would like to welcome Plano and Sandwich into the KRC. They are part of the KRC for all sports. Football is still competing in the Interstate eight/KRC alliance for this fall. So our football conference for this fall are the following teams: Marengo, Richmond Burton, Johnsburg, Harvard, Sandwich, Plano, and Rochelle.
Fall sports are off to a great start and we are looking forward to the competitions to begin. We would like to highlight a few key dates this fall:
September 1st: First Home Football Game (Senior Nights for Football, Cheer, Band, Golf)
September 7th: Home Football Game (Honoring Students with High SAT Scores)
September 20th: KRC Boys Golf Tournament @ Blackstone Golf Course
September 20th: Soccer Senior Night under the Lights
September 21st: KRC Girls Golf Tournament @ Blackstone Golf Course
September 22nd: Homecoming/FNBO Challenge (Soccer Game followed by a Football Game)
September 27th: IHSA Regional Boys Golf Tournament @ Blackstone Golf Course
September 28th: IHSA Regional Girls Golf Tournament @ Blackstone Golf Course
October 2nd: Volleyball Senior Night
October 3rd: Girls Tennis Senior Night
October 16th: Volley for the Cure
Parents… We are looking for parents to join the booster club. They meet on the second Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the MCHS commons. The next meeting is on September 5th. We are looking for parents to help with concessions, apparel sales, First National Bank Challenge and other booster events. This group has been able to support all the sports programs at MCHS.
CROSS COUNTRY NEWS
The XC team got off to a great start at the county meet. Running at ever-challenging Emricson Park in Woodstock, almost all veteran runners shaved minutes off last year's opening meet times. The boys were led by senior Marcus Ray who placed 31st, just missing a medal. Freshman Michael Gieseke and junior Gavin Prudlick quickly followed. The ladies were led by freshman Amy Smith in her first high school meet, placing 33rd. Junior Nikole Czepczinski also led the ladies, who have a full team for one of the first times in recent memory.
FIRST NATIONAL CHALLENGE
MCHS is hosting The First National Challenge on Friday, September 22, 2023. Tickets are now available for purchase from all fall sport athletes.