MCHS Newsletter
May, 2022
END OF YEAR DATES
May 12th - Senior Honors Night
May 13th - Last day of senior student attendance
May 25th and 26th - Finals (exam bell schedule)
May 26th - last day of student attendance
May 27th - Teacher workday
June 3rd – Graduation Practice
June 5th – Graduation
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
7:00 am - 7:45 am Zero Hour
7:50 am - 9:00 am 1st Hour
9:10 am - 10:20 am 2nd Hour
10:30 am - 11:40 am 4th Hour/Lunch students w/4th hr class/finals 11:40 (no bell)-12:30 p.m.
11:20 am - 12:30 pm 5th Hour/Lunch students w/5th hr class/finals 10:20-11:10 a.m. (no bell)
12:40 pm - 1:50 pm 3rd Hour
Thursday, May 26, 2022
7:50 am - 9:00 am 6th Hour
9:10 am - 10:20 am 7th Hour
10:30 am - 11:40 am 8th Hour
Semester Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (SAKAS)/Finals may consist of a written test, project, paper, presentation, etc. depending on the class. The student’s final grade for the semester will be determined by their cumulative grades throughout the course of the entire semester. Students were notified at the beginning of the semester what the Coursework and Final Exam will be weighted for each class. Some courses have a 90% Coursework/10% Final Exam, 80% Coursework/20% Final Exam, or 85% Coursework/15% Final Exam designation.
EXAM GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS:
- Students must arrive at school in time for their first exam for the day.
- Once on campus, they must stay until they have completed their last exam.
- Students may not leave an exam until the end of the exam period.
- Students assigned to Assisted Study Hall, Numeracy Lab, or Resource Study Skills are required to attend class except during the 8th hour finals period.
- Students arriving after 7:50 am should enter the school by the commons.
- There will be quiet study in the commons during the day.
- Students who need to miss an exam must fill out a prearranged absence form and get administrative approval. This will include notifying teachers. Limited exceptions will be approved.
- Students with pre-arranged absences will not be allowed to take final exams early unless specific arrangements have been approved by the Administration. Arrangements will be made for the student to complete those early in June unless specific circumstances were approved.
- Buses will run at 1:57 pm on Finals Day 1, and at 11:47 am on Finals Day 2.
- Students are required to be in attendance during the period an exam is scheduled. Students that are not approved to miss the exam will receive an F on the exam.
- Students out of school suspended will be assigned a make-up time and date through the Administration Office.
NATIONAL CHAMPION VEI TEAM
Congratulations to the Virtual Enterprise class and especially to Preston Bailey, Ty Sierpien and Bryden Steele for their success at the National Competition at the Youth Business Summit in New York City. They qualified and competed in three national competitions. They finished in the top 19 in the Finance competition, and placed 4th overall the Social Media Marketing Campaign competition. The final competition was in the National Quickbooks competition. Eleven teams made it to the finals and Preston, Ty, and Bryden took the National Title! Congratulations to this group for an outstanding performance and earning the National Champion title!
FOOD TRUCK PROJECT
Mrs. Wille's Foods II students spent five weeks preparing for their big Food Truck Project! They created a business plan and a signature dish recipe to prepare and "sell" to their peers and staff members. Yesterday marked the culmination of the project, as students staffed their booth and shared their creations during lunch. It was exciting to see the whole school get involved with this project!
JACKIE EUKER RECOGNIZED AS A 2022 STATE FFA PROFICIENCY WINNER
Jackie Euker was selected as the State FFA Proficiency Winner in Equine Placement. Illinois FFA recognizes students in forty-seven different areas based on their work-based learning, also known as Supervised Agricultural Experiences or SAE. FFA members who demonstrate outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through record keeping, leadership, and scholastic achievement may be considered for this award. SAEs allow students to learn by doing by either owning and operating an agricultural business, working or serving an internship at an agriculture-based business or conducting an agriculture-based scientific experiment and reporting results.
Jackie was selected as the State Winner by a committee of agriculture teachers, industry friends, parents, and volunteers knowledgeable in this work-based area, who reviewed their records online and then conducted interviews at Eisenhower High School, Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Receiving this honor now makes Jackie eligible to compete in the National FFA Awards Selection process in July, 2022. Jackie was previously chosen as the Chapter, Section, and District awardee in this area.
Jackie has been involved in the following other agriculture education and FFA activities: Marengo Chapter Secretary/Treasurer, Parliamentary Procedure Team, Agronomy Team, Meat Science, and Public Speaking contest
CTE INSTAGRAM
The CTE department has opened an Instagram account highlighting student work from each of the different content areas. Students enjoy having their work showcased to a larger audience and have had some great feedback from followers, supporters, and their peers.
JUNIORETTES RAISE MONEY FOR UKRAINE
The MCHS Juniorette club members focused their service activity for March on helping the citizens of Ukraine. A bake sale of delicious chocolate chip cookies during lunch hours was a hit! All 250+ cookies were sold and a grand total of $217 was raised. The funds were sent to the Red Cross organization and earmarked for Ukraine. Photos include Juniorette members working in the kitchen baking cookies.
HOSA BLOOD DRIVE
HOSA is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Please schedule your appointment here https://donate.illinois.versiti.org/.../drive.../5593253 Drive Promotion: All attempting donors will receive a code to redeem a general admission ticket to Summerfest!
GUIDANCE NEWS
Testing Complete - How to Access Scores
Where can my child see their SAT™/PSAT scores? If your child has a College Board online account, they’ll receive an email letting them know their scores are ready. All students should have an account as this was a task completed in an Advisory session. Students were recommended to use the following for a user name (last initial first initial student ID, example: SN999999).
Students can log in at studentscores.collegeboard.org to see their scores. Juniors can send the scores to up to 4 colleges for free if not done already. Your child's online score report includes detailed information about their test performance, including areas in which they excel and areas in which they may need to continue to develop as they prepare for college. Score reports give students and teachers valuable information to help make sure students will be ready for college-level work once they graduate from high school.
Resources: SAT information LINK PSAT 10 information LINK PSAT 9 information LINK
Big Future: College Search: This college search tool allows students to explore options based on what’s most important to them. Students can filter schools by location, academic program, financial aid, college specialty, and more. Students can compare colleges side by side, and save favorites in a college list that can be used to keep organized throughout the college planning process.
If there are questions, please reach out to your student's counselor.
Seniors and Parents!
MCHS would like to recognize students who are receiving scholarships or grants from the college, university or community organization. This information is shared in the graduation program - but not the dollar amounts. Please send a snapshot or scan of the award letter to Ms. Schultz at schultzn@mchs154.org by May 20th. We do ask that only award letters for the school your student plans to attend are shared.
We would like to celebrate the results of the student effort and accomplishments. This is a great opportunity to recognize YOUR student. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Schultz or your student's counselor.
Seniors
Please be aware there is no decorating your caps for graduation! Also, only stoles and honor cords that were earned at MCHS may be worn at graduation. Any questions, please stop in student services
Junior Tips for College Planning
Any student planning on attending a post-secondary school after high school must fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) form. This form will be available October 1st, 2022 for the 2023-24 school year and should be filled out as soon as possible thereafter. Parents and students will use their 2021 tax returns to complete this form. For more information, please visit the FAFSA website and/or contact your student's counselor.
Mrs. Olson (A-G) olsonm@mchs154.org
Mr. Rode (H-P) roden@mchs154.org
Mrs. Schultz (Q-Z) schultzn@mchs154.org
· Visit college campuses to find a good fit, learn about academics and admissions requirements. Colleges are doing Virtual Tours that will help during this time.
· Research financial aid options including scholarships and state aid.
· Sign up for a fall SAT (or register for the ACT).
· Create a list of schools or programs to explore. You are encouraged to begin applying to schools in August of your Senior year. Check each post secondary school for application availability.
Freshman & Sophomore Tips for College Planning
· Review your 4-year plan to make sure you have the correct classes for graduation, college admission, and to explore career options.
· Identify your interests in every area. Do you like to work inside or outside? Sit at a desk or move around? Work with people or things? These questions (and more) will help you identify what you like to do.
· Look at jobs, volunteer positions or summer camps to explore interests and gain skills.
· Tour local college campuses to learn about the wide variety of “fit”.
Summer Hours
A counselor will be available throughout the summer by appointment only. Please contact Mrs. Gorter at 815-568-6511 x1303 to set up a time.
ATTENTION: All Students Who Failed a Class 1st Semester
The window to sign up for summer credit recovery is closing soon! All registration paperwork and fees will be due on or before April 29th. MAP credit recovery is being offered in a variety of content areas in which students need credit towards their MCHS graduation requirements. MAP is set up as an online/self-paced course where you attend classes in-person at MCHS from 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for 15 days in June. If your student does not continue to progress academically during this upcoming semester and does not take advantage of our credit recovery summer school, s/he is at risk of being retained for the 2022-2023 academic year due to not earning the appropriate amount of credits. Additionally, per IHSA guidance, five academic classes must be passed at the end of each semester for a student to be eligible to participate in IHSA competitions (athletics, music, etc.) Students retained due to not passing the appropriate amount of credits will experience a loss of privileges which are based upon a student’s grade level assignment, including but not limited to: locker assignments, parking privileges, location of student photo in the yearbook, ability to attend Prom, etc. Finally, if you do not sign up for summer school, or do not successfully pass the class in summer MAP, you will have electives removed from your schedule and the required class(es) added back to your schedule for next year. If you have any questions, please reach out to your counselor.
FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Dental Examination Requirement
Current 9th grade students are required to provide proof of a dental examination performed by a licensed dentist by May 15, 2022. If you have not already submitted this, please provide the required documentation to our school nurse. School dental examinations must have been completed within the 18 months prior to May 15. Click here for a Dental Examination Form.
Meningococcal Vaccine Required
The Meningococcal vaccine is required for students entering 12th grade. The Illinois Department of Public Health is requiring that all student entering 12th grade show proof of two doses of meningococcal vaccine unless the first dose was administered after 16 years of age. In this case, only one dose is required.
Asthma Action Plan
A new policy was enacted in 2017 that states we must request an asthma action plan from parents of student who have asthma. This form must be completed by a physician and returned to the school nurse.
ATHLETICS
eSPORTS ROCKET LEAGUE
MCHS started an eSports team in February as an exploratory activity this year. Ten students participated in Mario Cart, Smash Brothers, Madden, and Rocket League this season. The eSports team plays in the IHSA and PVS (Play Versus). Ben Toby, Ryan Clark, and Mitch Peterson placed third in the game Rocket League at the IHSA eSports Sectionals and won their preliminary match in PVS, placing them in the top four of almost 140 schools in the Midwest League Elite 8! We look forward to growing our eSports program in the future.
TRACK SENIOR NIGHT
Seniors on the MCHS Track Team were honored on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Best wishes to them in their future endeavors!
SENIOR ATHLETIC AWARDS BANQUET
Our senior athletes were honored on April 27, 2022 at the annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet.
Four-year 3-sport athletes Collin Aubry and Courtney Jasinski
All Academic Athletes from left to right (back row): Preston Bailey, Bethany Christiansen, Morgan Coffman, Jack Heinberg, Evan Hartmann, Summer Kunzer, Abigail Rohe, Isabella Simonini, and Matthew Volkening; (front row): Ambria Baker, Ruby Escorza, Courtney Jasinski, Lauren Snelgrove, and Callahan Struck