District 219 in the News

The following information was submitted by Niles Township High School District 219.  

NILES WEST NEWS WRITER EARNS RECOGNITION FOR STORY

Niles West News editor Gabrielle Abesamis was recognized at the Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA) Fall Journalism Conference held October 19 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Abesamis, a junior, received the 2012 Gebhardt Award for her story “Students from Ohio School Shooting Share Experiences,” which she wrote last school year for nileswestnews.org. The award, named for longtime KEMPA instructor Tom Gebhardt, is presented annually to the best feature story. 

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NILES WEST STUDENTS TO PRESENT AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PEER TUTORING IN WRITING ON NOV. 2 - 4

Twenty-two Niles West peer tutors will present at their first professional conference, the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW), to be held on November 2 through 4 on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

The NCPTW promotes the teaching of writing through collaborative learning. Peer tutors and NCPTW professionals help students to become self-sufficient writers. NCPTW professionals are leaders in collaborative approaches, respond to the challenges of creating and operating writing centers, develop peer tutoring programs, and promote the work of their peer tutors.

This year, Niles West High School was selected as the first high school ever to host NCPTW. Niles West has the busiest peer tutoring program and the second largest peer tutoring program in the world.

The following Niles West peer tutors will present at the conference:

Vishna Patel and Shelby Rosin, “One Person, Many Perceptions: An Investigation of the Perceptions Others Have of Tutors”; Sheryl Cherian and Shana Nissan, “Perceptions of a First-Year Tutor: Age Versus Experience”; Simon Kim, Divya Shah and Eli Sherman, “The Teaching Blind-Date”; Anna Chirayil, Patrick Drozd, Kaylin Moy and Theodore Truong, “The Evolving Perception of a Tutor of Himself”; Max Collins, Patrick Liscio, Paula Saelim and Maya Sato, “Freed from Captivity: The Effects of Autonomy on the Maturity of a High School Tutor”; Narcis Ardelean, David Heller, Brandon Moy, Joel Nelson and Spiro Tsirikolias, “Tutors: A Work in Progress”; and Aqsa Junagadhwala and Alice Lee, “Ron Maxwell: Teacher, Mentor, Visionary.”

The keynote speaker for the conference is Colin Sato, a Niles West graduate who started in the Niles West Literacy Center his sophomore year and who has continued to tutor and research the act of tutoring and how it affects one’s understanding of tutor identity.

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DISTRICT 219 MUSICIANS SELECTED FOR IMEA DISTRICT 7 FESTIVAL

Thirty-one Niles Township High School District 219 musicians have been invited to perform at upcoming Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) District 7 Festivals. Students from the orchestra, choir and band underwent stringent auditions to qualify for the festivals. Their performances will determine whether these musicians receive an invitation to the All-State Festival in Peoria, IL in January 2013, the most prestigious high school music festival in the state of Illinois, and the highest single honor a high school musician can achieve.

The following District 219 students will perform at the IMEA District VII Senior Festival held at Glenbrook North High School on November 10:

Niles North:  Jonathan Luk, viola; Jacob Nagler, bass; Aidan Perreault, first violin; Karli Goldenberg, flute-piccolo; Daniel Sahyouni, percussion; Ashley Faith-Ferrer, contrabass clarinet; Christopher Scheithauer, trumpet; Sally Alvarado, soprano I; Phoebe Yeo, soprano II; Sarah Alkyer, alto I; Taylor Gardner, alto I; Karen Savella, alto I; Glenwin Ebreo, tenor I; Eugene Hyun, tenor I; Matt Sund, bass I; and Noah Zeidman, bass II.

Niles West:  Justin Chong, double bass; Charlie Jacobs, flute; Jesse Sacks, trumpet; Allison Stangel, flute; Cameron Broderick, tenor I; Max Greene, bass II; Michael Kim, tenor II; Rudy Newman, bass I; Rishi Patel, bass I; and Kristin Recinto, soprano II.

The following District 219 students have been selected for the IMEA Jazz Festival held at Lake Zurich High School on November 17:

Niles North:  Taylor Gardner, alto; and Jazib Gohar, tenor.

Niles West:  Cameron Broderick, tenor; Becca Gratch, soprano and Max Greene, bass.

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NILES WEST’S LIETZ PUBLISHES AP PHYSICS CURRICULUM MODULE THROUGH COLLEGE BOARD

Niles West science teacher Martha Lietz recently wrote and edited an Advanced Placement (AP) Physics Electromagnetic Induction Professional Development Curriculum Module published by The College Board.

AP curriculum modules are instructional units composed of one or more lessons, focused on a particular curricular topic. The lessons in each module are intended to serve as instructional models, which AP teachers can apply to their own instructional planning.

Lietz wrote the introduction and “Lesson 1: Introduction to Faraday’s Law,” and also served as editor of the curriculum module.

Lietz has been teaching AP Physics C at Niles West High School since 1990. She has 15 years of experience as an AP consultant and Reader, Table Leader, and Question Leader for the AP Physics Exam. She served on the AP Physics Development Committee from 2001 to 2005 and now serves as the College Board Advisor to that Committee. She also serves as Chair of the American Association of Physics Teachers’ Committee on Physics in High Schools.

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“TRANSITIONS FOR THE FUTURE,” A RESOURCE FAIR FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS HELD AT NILES NORTH ON NOV. 7

The 11th annual “Transitions for the Future: A Resource Fair” will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7 at Niles North High School, 9800 N. Lawler, Skokie. The Resource Fair is designed to assist students with special needs in making post-high school transition plans. All students with special needs, their parents/guardians, and professionals are invited to attend.

New this year is the panel discussion, “Planning for Your Student’s Future,” that will be presented from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Following the panel discussion will be a resource fair from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Representatives from apprenticeship programs, employment services, government programs, health services, legal resources, recreational opportunities, referral sources, residential programs, transportation, vocational programs and trade schools will be available to distribute information and answer questions.

The Resource Fair is organized by Business and Education for Students in Transition (BEST), a committee sponsored by The Cove School, The Douglas Center, Evanston Township High School District 202, Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services, JVS Career Planning Center, Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center, Maine Township High School District 207, New Trier Township High School District 203 a, Niles Township High School District 219 and Orchard Village.