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PARENT NEWS
Parent Organization Updates
This past winter was a busy time for the Parent Organization. On March 3, Fr. Paulson was joined by Saint Ignatius parents as they traveled to Springfield to attend Catholics at the Capitol. More details can be found in the School News section below.
How do we thank all the parents that made the 2010 Auction a success? So many parents donated auction items, planned the event and volunteered that night. We are so impressed with the outpouring of generosity from all our parents. This year was a huge success.
On April 17, parent and student volunteers took part in the City of Chicago Spring Clean and Green Program as part of the 2010 Parent Service Program. Volunteers mulched trees on May St. and Racine Ave. between Taylor St. and Roosevelt Rd., cleaned streets, sidewalks, and parkways on streets around school and the surrounding neighborhood on Taylor St. and beyond. The Spring Clean and Green Program was a great opportunity to be “Men and Women for Others” in the neighborhood around Saint Ignatius College Prep and we thank you for your help.
This month, the freshman class will be celebrating a class mass on Sunday, April 25. The junior class parents will be hosting a reception immediately following. If you would like to help out or bring food items, please contact Karen Layng at kplayng@vedderprice.com.
Do not miss the Parent Organization general meeting on Tuesday, April 20. Fr. Paulson and Dr. Karl will be telling us about the "State of the School." This will be Fr. Paulson's last address so be sure to join us at 7:00 p.m. in Tully Hall.
We want to let the Executive Board of the Parent Organization as well as all of the class representatives know how much we have enjoyed this year. All the parents involved with us have made this past school year an unforgettable delight.
2009-10 PARENT ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
Mimsie and Andrew O’Hara, Co-Presidents:
mimsieoh@sbcglobal.net/630.789.3043
Karen and Patrick Layng, Co-Vice Presidents:
kplayng@vedderprice.com/312.609.7891
pat.s.layng@usdoj.gov/312.353.9297
Mary McGrath, Recording Secretary:
mmcg394721@aol.com/708.246.6749
Luis and Sally Nieto, Co-Corresponding Secretaries:
lands.nieto@comcast.net/708.771.2164
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SCHOOL NEWS
Save the Date for Fr. Paulson’s Farewell Mass and Reception
The entire Saint Ignatius school community is cordially invited to attend Mass at Holy Family Church on Sunday, June 6 at 2:00 p.m., to celebrate Fr. Paulson’s good work during his eleven-year tenure as president of the school. Mass will be followed by light refreshments. Be sure to check the school Web site at www.ignatius.org for more details. We look forward to seeing you on June 6!
More Than 1,100 Turn Out for the Auction
Puttin' on the Ritz—Midnight in the Garden of Athena, was a huge success with over 1,100 guests in attendance and gross proceeds of over $800,000! School administrators extend thanks to all the parents who attended, donated an item or volunteered their time to help make the event a hit. The school was transformed into a Mediterranean wonderland while parents, alumni, school staff and friends crowded around themed tables, bidding on vacation getaways, unique baskets, items for the home and even motor scooters! We thank you for your generosity and support of Saint Ignatius College Prep. You are truly "men and women for others."
Scholastic Bowl Team Wins State Championship
Congratulations to science teacher Frank Bellucci, who coaches the team, and all the students who participate, on their 93-23 record for the year. The team went undefeated in the regular season competitions for the first time in school history on their way to becoming North Metro League Champions. The team finished in 3rd place or higher in each competition and the coaches’ poll of all participating schools had the Ignatius team ranked as high as 2nd in the state. The team received the #1 seed for the regional competition which was hosted at Saint Ignatius in early March and continued its winning ways through the sectional tournament in route to the 27th annual Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl State Championship competition where they went 6-1 to bring home the state title. This year’s Scholastic Bowl roster included Amy Brabec ’11, Andrew Deveau ’11, Brian Kenny ’10, Vincent Kenny ’11, Jake O’Shea ’11 and Michelle Yuen ’10. Deveau ’11 and Brian Kenny were also selected to the all-sectional team. In the photo, left to right, are Vincent, Kenny, Deveau, Ryan Flores (Scholastic Bowl Official), Brabec, Yuen and Coach Belluci.
Danani ’11 Achieves Girl Scout Gold Award
The Gold Award is the highest honor that a Girl Scout can earn. For many, the leadership skills, organizational skills, and sense of community and commitment that come from "going for the Gold" set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship. The service project Samrina Danani undertook as part of her Gold Award project involved coordinating interactions between youths and senior citizens who live in assisted living facilities. The activities included taking the senior citizens to movies and on picnics among other events and also encompassed organizational, leadership and networking skills with over 300 hours of community service.
Faber ’10 and Turek ’10 Named to All-State Academic Team
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has announced the 26 students who have been selected to the 2009-10 All-State Academic Team. The honorees of the IHSA’s top academic honor were chosen from a group that included over 500 students throughout the state and Saint Ignatius was the only school to have two students make the Academic Team—Elizabeth Faber ’10 and Jack Turek ’10. Nominees needed to possess a minimum 3.50 grade point average on a 4.0 scale after their 7th semester, have participated in at least two IHSA sponsored activities during each of the last two years and demonstrated outstanding citizenship. The nominations were evaluated by a committee made up of IHSA principals, representatives of the Illinois Activities Directors Association and representatives of the Illinois Athletic Directors Association. The All-State Academic Team members were honored at a banquet in Bloomington.
Students Qualify for Illinois State Math Finals
The official results from the ICTM State Regional Competitions have been posted, and for the ninth consecutive year, Saint Ignatius has qualified to advance to the Illinois State Math Finals in all events at all levels. State Finals will be held at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign on Saturday, May 1. Congratulations to all our Ignatian mathletes and coaches Mr. Butzen, Mr. Owens, Mr. Maggio, Mr. Balaban and Dr. Carroll.
Fr. Paulson, Ignatius Parents Attend Catholics at the Capitol
The day included a briefing from the Catholic Conference of Illinois about a range of issues of concern to the church, including educational funding issues and pro-life issues. During the briefing, part of the group met with Rep. Jim Durkin, who is a leader on the issue of public funding for private schools. The entire group then met with Speaker Michael Madigan ’60 and Sen. Don Harmon ’84 regarding support for reinstating the funding for the text book loan program, the school safety block grants, and the transportation reimbursement program from which many Saint Ignatius families have benefited. The Ignatius group urged these legislators to continue to support any funding which would help Catholic schools and families who choose to send their students to Catholic schools.
Students’ Discovery Shows River Water is Improving
Last fall, students from Saint Ignatius found a dobsonfly larva in the Chicago River at Harms Woods. The discovering was made while the students were out with teacher Mr. Frank Bellucci on the Integrated Science 2 Ecology Field trip. These bugs, which have no tolerance to pollution, fall into a category of bugs known as Group 1, pollution intolerant, high water quality indicators. The Friends of the Chicago River group has been monitoring the health of the North Branch of the Chicago River for over fourteen years and in all of that time, has never found a Group 1 insect north of downtown, until now. The finding was documented in a recent issue of River Reporter, the newsletter of the Friends of the Chicago River.
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FAITH MATTERS
School Community Supports Relief Effort in Haiti
Saint Ignatius dedicated January 29 to a day of prayer and support for the people of Haiti. The day began with Mass at Holy Family Church, where all were welcomed to join together to begin the day in prayer for all those suffering after the earthquake hit in Haiti. During the school day, students, faculty and staff were encouraged to wear red (one of the colors in the Haitian flag) as a sign of solidarity. Everyone also had the opportunity to donate gently used shoes to support “Share Your Soles”—Project Haiti. The day continued with a community dinner, sponsored by DiLeo’s Catering, in Tully Hall. Tickets to the dinner were sold for $5 with 100% of the proceeds benefitting Jesuit Relief Services' efforts in Haiti. The dinner also included a student led prayer and reflection component on the devastation in that country. After dinner, all students and their families were encouraged to attend the varsity boys’ basketball game. There was a huge turnout from the school community with donations collected at the door and at the concession stand. Thank you for your support!
Mission Collection Helps Well Digging and School in Africa
This year’s mission collection is going towards helping Living Water International and the Our Lady of the Angels school in Rwanda. The goal for this year’s mission was to collect $2 a month per student. So far, over $13,000 has been raised. Living Water International is a not-for-profit that works to help communities acquire desperately needed clean water. The group implements community-based water solutions in developing areas and has completed water projects for 7,000 communities in 26 countries to-date. The Our Lady of the Angels school in Rwanda is run by the Benebikira Sisters who are an indigenous Catholic order of nuns in that country. They work to improve the lives of war-affected individuals through the ministry of educating over 5,000 students (80% of them girls) in seven primary schools and 13 secondary schools.
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EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Coaches to be Inducted into Hall of Fame
The Saint Ignatius Athletics Department is proud to announce that varsity boys’ basketball coach, Mr. Richard Kehoe, former varsity girls’ basketball coach, Mr. Thomas McKenna and current Saint Ignatius Athletics Director, Mr. James Prunty, have all been selected for induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame. The 38th annual induction ceremony will take place on April 24, 2010. Coach Ms. Nancy Buczek was also recently named to the Girls Catholic Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all the coaches!
Free Estate and Tax Planning Workshop
All are invited to attend our Estate & Tax Planning Workshop on Saturday, April 24 at 9:00 a.m. at the school. This event is being hosted by the Estate & Tax Advisory Council, which is comprised of alumni, parents and friends of the school who work in the finance field. Consider taking advantage of their expertise! To find out more about the free workshop or to register, visit the event Web page. Hope you can join us!
Women’s Council Networking Event
On Wednesday, May 5, 2010 the Saint Ignatius Women’s Council will host a career networking night in the McLaughlin Theater. The cost to attend the event is $20 which will include dinner, the keynote speaker presentation and breakout sessions for networking. Dinner will be from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Then from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the program will begin with keynote speaker Alison Miller, PhD; Q&A and breakout networking sessions allowing people the opportunity to meet, mingle and share ideas. RSVP on the Wolves’ Den by clicking here. The deadline is Friday, April 30, 2010.
Golf Outing
Save the date of Wednesday, June 30, 2010 for the annual Gentile Golf Classic for Saint Ignatius College Prep. The event will take place at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont. Invitations have been issued and more information is available on the event Web page, which can be found by clicking here. All proceeds from the event benefit the Saint Ignatius Tuition Assistance Program.
Ignatian Volunteer Corps Wants Your Help
Are you retired or do you know someone who is? The Ignatian Volunteer Corps seeks volunteers (age 50+) to work with the poor in the Chicago area two days a week. This ministry opportunity for retired persons can allow individuals to share their talents and life experiences with an organization that directly assists the poor. This program is also thriving in cities such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and Washington D.C. Contact George Sullivan at 773-975-6871 or gsullivan@ivcusa.org for more information. You can also visit the program Web site at www.ivcusa.org.
