School Events
A recognition assembly was held May 19 to honor the commitment to academic success at Mount Assisi Academy, 13860 Main St., Lemont.
Students were honored for their commitment to academic success, dedication to community service and outstanding participation in school organizations.
The assembly began with a prayer and the pledge led by student council members. After brief speeches were given to elect new officers for the following school year, faculty and staff members distributed awards representing various academic disciplines and co-curricular clubs.
Junior Alison Jablonsky appreciated the fact that all teachers were involved in the ceremony and that awards based on character and school spirit were also presented.
“It was really nice to see that more students were also recognized for their overall efforts,” Jablonsky said.
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Four new programs offering alternative energy education will be introduced at Mother McAuley High School, 3737 W. 99th St.
BP’s A+ for Energy Program and Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation are making the programs possible, according to Dr. Christine Melone, president and principal at Mother McAuley.
With $25,000 of support from a global energy leader like BP and $10,000 from a local conservation group like Illinois Clean Energy Foundation, McAuley students have new opportunities to explore the important world of energy conservation. McAuley was the only high school in this area to receive three grants through the A+ for Energy Program.
Science Department Chairperson Dr. Roz Iasillo designed “Energize McAuley — An Alternative Energy Audit” as an opportunity for students to learn how the school uses energy, to implement energy savings, and to learn about alternative energy sources. The Audit is designed to provide real-life learning through the use of career-related teams that carry out tasks similar to professionals found in the energy industry. Through the BP A+ for Energy Program, McAuley received a $10,000 grant to launch this new initiative.
Physics teacher Robert Thomas developed “Converting Solar and Wind Energy to Electricity” as a research project for his Physics Honors students. About 100 students will work in teams to build and collect data from wind and solar energy kits, convert the energy into electricity and conduct experiments using different variables to try to obtain the most power from the energy sources. McAuley received a $5,000 grant from the BP A+ for Energy Program in support of this project.
Kathleen Gordon Davis, chairperson of McAuley’s Art Department, developed “Connections: Energy, Visual Arts and Our Environment” as an interdisciplinary project with the Science Department. Students in the Studio Art and Advanced Placement Art classes will work with the Environmental Science students to create visual art pieces directly related to the study of energy and alternative sources.
The students will concentrate their study on five sources of renewable energy: solar, wind, geothermal, tides and hydroelectric. The visual art piece will be displayed in an art exhibition. In order to develop this concept, BP’s A+ for Energy Program awarded McAuley a $10,000 grant.
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Freshmen Leader/Scholars at St. Laurence High School, 5556 W. 77th St., Burbank, recently took part in the annual field trip experience aboard the Odyssey II on the lakefront.
The students met with Michael Higgins of Entertainment Cruises, who took them on the trip.
The Leadership Program at St. Laurence develops leadership in its student body through field trips, guest speakers in classes, training days at Irons Oaks Adventure Center, leadership assemblies and a relationship with Bradley University and its position as the south campus of The Leadership Academy.