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Week of December 9 to December 17
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Update from Interim Superintendent Bentsen
Dear Fenton School Community,
We’ve crossed the finish line for the First Semester! Thank you to all our students, teachers, and staff for your hard work these last few weeks as we wrapped everything up and completed final demonstrations of what we learned.
For a select few, final exams don’t mean the end of the semester, but rather the end of their journey here at Fenton. Congratulations to our Early Grads who took extra classes and finished high school in December – a semester early. Working ahead takes a lot of commitment and is something to be proud of!
Second Semester begins on January 7th. We hope you enjoy your holiday break and spend quality time with your family and friends.
Before breaking, we received a special visitor. Santa Claus stopped by on Friday, December 13 at the same time Ms. Renaga, Mrs. To, and Ms. Torres were distributing $5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards to all students who arrived at school on-time. The $5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards are thanks to a generous donation from High School Nation.
For a few weeks this December we've put a special focus on getting to school and 1st hour on-time every single day. A more consistent start to the day can have a huge impact on the rest of a student's classes.
Santa was here to join in the celebration and to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
We expect this positive momentum to carry into the second semester.
Finally, as we ease into the holidays I want to give a big kudos to our music students. The 99th Annual Band and Choir Holiday Concert was a big success. Thank you to all our students, families and community members who attended the concert for our performers to feel special. Most importantly, thank you to our music students for sharing your talents with all of us.
See you on January 7th. Happy Holidays.
Sam Bentsen, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent
Getting a Taste of International Architecture
Leading up to Winter Break, culinary students spent the final week of their International Foods unit building Graham Cracker monuments from around the world and then displaying them in the student cafeteria for a vote.
Examples include the Louvre Museum in France, Mayan ruins and pyramids in Mexico, the Big Ben Clock Tower in England, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Old Havana in Cuba, and many more.
Piano Recitals Share Holiday Joy
Congratulations to the students in Piano 1 & 2 for their wonderful piano recital on Tuesday, December 17 in the Choir Room. For many of them, it was their first time performing in front of a live audience. All of the songs were holiday themed and garnered many smiles. A Huge Bison Shout Out to Mrs. Seredy Williams for all her mentorship.
A Festive End to First Semester
Fenton students celebrated the end of the first semester by participating in a Winter Spirit Week leading into Final Exams. The themes included:
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Comfy & Cozy Monday (December 9) – Wear your sweats, hoodies, or comfiest clothes.
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Twin With a Teacher Tuesday (December 10) – Coordinate your outfit with a teacher or staff member.
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Winter Sports Wednesday (December 11) – Show your pride for your favorite sports team.
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Channel your Flannel Thursday (December 12) – Wear your favorite flannel.
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Ugly Sweater Friday (December 13) – Show your spirit with your best ugly sweater.
Fenton typically hosts several spirit weeks throughout the school year to build community.
Fenton Celebrates and Explores “Hour of Code” Activities
Throughout the last full week of classes, students explored writing computer code and other custom projects during the “Hour of Code” activities. Hour of Code celebrates advancements in the computer science industry and showcases opportunities students can pursue. Activities occurred in the Community Room during all lunch periods and ranged from guest speakers, to drone flights, coding graphics, coding games, a gaming party, and more.
Fenton Faces Recipients Celebrated at Breakfast
Fenton High School has a recognition program we call "Fenton Faces." This program acknowledges dedicated students for their outstanding aptitude, participation, or specific contributions to a class.
Each department is asked to select a couple of students per semester for its Fenton Face(s). The teacher nominating the student for this honor is asked to write a few sentences about the student and why they were selected.
Students selected in the first semester were honored during a breakfast before school on Tuesday, December 10. Partway through the breakfast, Principal Ward called up each student and he read the nomination from their teacher before awarding each student with a certificate.
The following students were first semester Fenton Faces nominees:
| Crystal Woods | Samantha Martens |
| Gregory Platek | Sophia Sao |
| Natalia Maczka | Kamil Faran |
| Josue Gomez Sandin | Eduardo Lira |
| Nick Ohanian | Allen Pacheco |
| Matylda Piskorz (2) | Milani Perez |
| Nicole Munoz | Taylor Corona |
| Rene Reyna | Alonso Romero |
| Greg Herber Garcia Gomez | Cesar Jimenez Juarez |
| Curtis Ellis | Delilah Padilla (2) |
| Faith Harris | Ameera Saadeh |
| Luis Salinas | |
| Lesli Garcia | |
| Abigail (Noel) Torres | |
| Melissa Jakubowski | |
| Alita Thach |
English Students Go to Trial
Guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt! Students in Accelerated English with Mrs. Sara Pahl and Mr. Jordan Torres strengthened their argumentative writing skills by conducting mock trials based on the acclaimed 1954 book "Lord of the Flies." Each class on Thursday, December 12 had to decide Jack's fate after the killing of two boys on the island. This example of project-based learning requires students to use and evaluate persuasive rhetoric, while enjoying the experience impersonating fictional characters.
Legends Return!
Thank you to the 11 alumni who returned to Fenton Monday, December 16 and participated in our Legends Chess Match against this year's Bison Team. The alumni ranged from graduating classes 2015 to 2024. We're extremely proud of our chess program and its many accomplishments over the years.
Fenton Wrestlers Earn Medals at Weiss Invite
Fenton wrestlers performed well at the 44th annual Weiss Invite on Saturday, December 7 here at Fenton. The varsity team placed 5th out of 16 teams.
Congratulations to the following medal winners
- 2nd place: Omar Diaz (165 lbs) and Danny Martinez (215 lbs)
- 3rd place: Nathan Yerian (144 lbs) and Thomas Klos (285 lbs)
- 4th place: Rene Reyna (138 lbs)
- 5th place: Dereck Mazariegos (175 lbs)
- 6th place: Tristyn Santiago (113 lbs), Gabe Hernandez (120 lbs), Jose Monzon (126 lbs)
Coach Weiss retired in 1990 after 22 years as head coach and was later inducted into the Illinois wrestling coaches Hall of Fame with a record of 337 wins, 91 losses and 12 ties. Coach Weiss led the Fenton team to a state championship in 1973, coached two students to individual state championships, and 17 others placed at state during his tenure.
Congratulations to all the wrestlers, Coach Brian Hastings, and his staff.
Hiking Lincoln Park ZooLights
Ms. Ciupuliga and 40 students from the Fenton Hiking Club enjoyed the more than 3 million festive lights at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Zoolights holiday display on Friday, December 6.
Community members can get a $500 referral prize if they recommend a bus driver who gets hired.
Staff members can get $600 bonus if they recommend a bus driver who gets hired.
Fall Into Yearbook Savings with $5 Holiday Coupon Code
As we move from fall into winter, the staff of the Highlights Yearbook has decided to make last minute holiday shopping a little easier!
Yearbooks and senior ads (hint, hint, moms and dads) are only sold online. Search "Fenton High School" on yearbookforever.com. Use code WINTERSPIRIT (all capital letters) for $5 off the advanced purchase of a yearbook up until the end of winter break.
Email Mr. Kambic (kambic@fenton100.org) if you have any questions.
Noteworthy Dates
- January 6 – No School - Teachers Institute
- January 7 – First Day of Semester 2
- January 9 – Theatre Festival (Thespian) at Illinois State University
- January 10 – Theatre Festival (Thespian) at Illinois State University
- January 17 – Tri-District Choral Festival, 12 pm
- January 20 – No School - MLK Day
- January 22 – Spring Musical Auditions, 3:30 pm
- January 22 – Board of Education Meeting, 7 pm
- January 23 – Spring Musical Auditions, 3:30 pm
- January 28 – Talent Show Auditions, 3:30 pm
- January 28 – Food For Families Drive Thru Distribution, 4 pm to 5:30 pm or while supplies last
- January 29 – Talent Show Auditions, 3:30 pm
- February 1 – NHS Winter Community Service Deadline