Week of February 23 to February 27 2026

The winner of the 2026 Talent Show poses for a photo with his nephews and his trophy

March 4, 2026 12:00 PM

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Update from Superintendent Bentsen

Dear Fenton School Community,

We had a busy February filled with celebrations of culture and student achievement. The first wave of success stories made their way to our February 25 Board of Education meeting, with our upcoming March meeting looking to be even busier.

Congratulations to sophomore Denisse Astudillo who earned 2nd Place in the chair division of the IHSA Girls Bowling State Finals on February 21. She rolled her personal best game of 163 to move into and hold onto 2nd Place. In fact, every game she bowled at State was above her yearly average!

A girls bowler and her family pose for a photo with the Board of Education

A girls bowler poses for a photo with her Board of Education certificate of recognition

Senior John Laswell also qualified to state. He surged at Sectionals to finish 3rd out of more than 100 bowlers. Only the top four bowlers at Sectionals go to state. John is the first boys bowler in four years to go to state. Congratulations John!

A boys bowler and his family pose for a photo with the Board of Education with a celebratory slide on the screen behind them

Senior Sebastian Krupa missed going to state by a small margin but he was the Regional Champion after having bowled a perfect game. He’s only the third boys bowler to score a perfect game in school history. Our last perfect game was bowled in 2009. Congratulations Sebastian!

School Calendar

The Board of Education also approved our school calendar for the 2026-2027 school year. It’s available on the calendar page of our website, or you can click here to see the full document.

We are continuing our new routine of having graduation during the week, so families in the Class of 2027 will want to make a note on your personal calendars for planning purposes.

You’ll notice a few new aspects to the calendar. We are taking off the full week of Thanksgiving to better align with our feeder districts. We are also having Second Semester Final Exams in June.

CTE Instructor of the Year

Students are the only ones in the spotlight! Congratulations to Ms. Ashley Giganti, who was recognized on February 27 as a 2026 Career & Technical Education Instructor of the Year by the DuPage Area Occupational Education System (DAOES) as well as College of DuPage.

A yearbook portrait photo of Mrs. Ashley Giganti

DAOES is an Illinois Education for Employment (EFE) system responsible for planning for the delivery of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in this geographical area. Fenton operates its CTE classes under the guidance of DAOES.

Ms. Giganti is only in her fourth year at Fenton in our Family and Consumer Sciences department, but she has made an extraordinary impact as an innovator who consistently brings new and creative ideas that excite her students and colleagues.

Michelle Papanicolaou was on hand to share all these incredible qualities with our DuPage County partners.

Ashley Giganti (right) poses with Michelle Papanicolaou at the awards ceremony

We are incredibly fortunate to have Ms. Giganti at Fenton. Thanks for all you do.

Sam Bentsen, Ed.D.

Superintendent

5Essentials Parent Survey

Fenton values its partnership with the parents and guardians of our students, and we want feedback on how our school can improve.

The best method for gathering wide-ranging feedback is through the 5Essentials Survey, which is operated by the University of Chicago. Through various questions, the survey is intended to measure these five indicators that positively affect school success:

Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction

This survey is handled by an outside organization and they do not share your email address or your answers with Fenton High School. University of Chicago asks if you would like to submit your email address in case you don’t finish the survey and want to continue later. Names are not collected.

The data sent to Fenton is also shown on our State School Report Card if a required number of parents participate, and the information includes general percentages of responding parents who agree or disagree with the stated questions or a percentage of responding parents who selected the multiple choice answers. No identifying information is revealed.

These are just a sample of the survey questions, but they show a good variety of areas where your feedback would be helpful and could make a difference moving forward:

What grade your student is in,
Technology available to parents at home,
How parents think their students feel about school,
How often parents interact with their student’s teachers,
How parents feel about the relationship with their student’s teachers,
If parents believe our school is preparing their students for college,
How often our school provides updates or invites parents into the school,
What communication methods (email, phone, text messages) do parents prefer,
What life factors prevent parents from attending school events,
How often do parents volunteer for school events or programs,
Parent opinions on the quality of our facilities,

Please take a few minutes to click on the link below and take the 5Essentials Parent Survey.

Click here to take the 5Essentials Parent Survey.

SEL/PBIS Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to our mid-winter update! It’s been a busy start to the new year here at Fenton. Through our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) initiatives, we are focusing on the whole student—balancing academic discipline with the digital wellness necessary for success in 2026.

Topics in this latest newsletter include:

January Recap: Building Skills for Success
February Focus: Digital Wellness & Connection
A "Sweet" School-Wide Celebration
At-Home Discussion Starters

Click here to continue reading the January/February newsletter from Ms. Melissa To, Fenton’s PBIS and SEL Coordinator.

Participants and attendees enjoy the annual Spaghetti With a Song fundraiser

Spaghetti With a Song Fundraiser is Sunday, March 8

Mark your calendars! Our annual Spaghetti With a Song public event is 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8th, 2026. All proceeds benefit the Fenton Music Boosters and the Fenton Music Programs.

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Enjoy a plate of spaghetti while listening to a variety of student performances. We always enjoy a live audience! This is open to the public, whether you have children at our school or not.

Tickets are $10 if purchased in advance and $15 at the door. Children age 3 and under are free. If you buy four tickets, the fifth ticket is free!

Click here to buy tickets online

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A flier promoting the March 8, 2026 Spaghetti with a Song event at 1 pm. Tickets cost $10 cash or $11 online

A student donates blood during the Student Council Fall Blood Drive

Give the Gift of Life – Donate Blood

Fenton's Student Council is seeking donors for their March 18, 2026 blood drive, which will take place between 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Front Gym.

All students 16 and older, their parents, siblings, and members of the community are invited to participate.

Student Council members will be assisting the staff from Versiti Blood Centers. Each donation can save up to three lives!

Click here to schedule an appointment

Please read the following helpful tips:

Bring a photo ID
Students under the age of 18 will need a signed permission slip
Make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating blood.
Enter through Door 1 (our main entrance) and proceed to the Front Gym.
Do not plan to participate in any sports or strenuous activities for the rest of the day after donating blood.

For more information, contact Christine Casterton (casterton@fenton100.org).

Fenton art students pose near the Upstate Eight Conference Art Exhibition presentation

Fenton Plays Host to the Upstate Eight Conference Art Exhibition

A huge Bison Shout Out to the Fenton Art Department for hosting the Upstate Eight Conference Art Exhibition on February 20 while utilizing larger space at Elgin Community College to welcome 13 visiting high schools. Fenton’s team set up the galleries, organized the breakout workshops, and coordinated the contest.

Teachers on Fenton’s Art Education Team include Ms. Angelika Zima, Ms. Amanda Kolinek, and Mr. Scott McNulty. The talented students who assisted with the event and contributed their works of art include:

Aysiah Perez – Painting
Julia Dela Cruz – Painting (awarded an Honorable Mention)
Anna Castellanos – Painting
Nicolle Porras – Drawing (won 3 Place)
Giselle Castillo – Drawing
Preshay Idrees – 3D
Michael Mosby II – Digital Photography
Katherinne Martinez-Martinez – Digital Photography

Congratulations to Julia and Nicole!

Students from Upstate Eight Conference schools tour art at the Art Exhibition

A Fenton student poses near her art at the Upstate Eight Conference Art Exhibition

A Fenton student poses near his art at the Upstate Eight Conference Art Exhibition

A large group of students sit on the STEM Learning Stairs while watching a Career Spotlight presentation

Career Spotlights Bring Industry Professionals to Fenton

Thank you to the many guest speakers from six career areas who visited us last week for our Career Spotlight Series.

Career Spotlights took place throughout the day on Tuesday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 25 in multiple locations within Fenton. This new offering brought incredible guest speakers from a wide range of career backgrounds to Fenton to share their career journeys, insights, and real-world advice with our students. Many of these speakers are even Fenton alumni who walked these very same hallways.

A Fenton alum stands in front of the screen while presenting his STEM career spotlight

A firefighter paramedic stands at the podium and presents his Career Spotlight in the ARC

Listed below are the career areas and job titles of our visiting professionals. The career areas are also links to our social media where you can see photos from these presentations.

STEM
- Cloud Security Architect
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Project Manager/Engineer
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Strategic Futurist and AI Consultant
- Analytical Chemist
Business and Entrepreneurship
- Director of Corporate Strategy
- Workforce Development Specialist
- Chief School Business Officer
- Construction Executive
Arts, Design, and Communications
- Interior Design Director
- Communications Specialist
- Architect
Law and Public/Human Services
- Licensed Social Worker
- Attorney
- Firefighter/Paramedic
- School Administrator
Skilled Trades
- Welding Instructor
- Electrical Construction Leader
- Construction Trades Program Manager
Health Sciences
- Pharmacist
- Ophthalmic Medical Technologist
- Registered Dietitian
- Registered Nurse
- Nurse Practitioner
- Nursing Education Leader

Meeting and hearing directly from professionals in these fields is intended to create experiences that will empower students to build or grow their academic goals, while making important connections along the way.

A construction executive poses with a student after giving her Career Spotlight presentation

A Fenton alum and Career Spotlight speaker poses with current students after her presentation

Thank you to Michelle Papanicolaou, Fenton’s Director of Postsecondary Pathways, and her team of Mr. Garcia and Ms. Leclercq for organizing such a unique school-wide event.

Students who attended the NIU Educators Rising Experience pose for a photo with the letters N U I before getting back on the bus

Future Teachers Unite at NIU

Fenton students who are interested in the Education Pathway attended the NIU Educators Rising Experience on Thursday, February 26 in Dekalb.

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The Northern Illinois University College of Education, the Illinois Education Association, and the Illinois P-20 Network collaborated to offer this first-ever on-campus event designed for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career as educators, including as teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and more.

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Students were able to attend breakout sessions and talk with multiple Illinois Teachers of the Year. This event provided additional insights on the rewards of a career in education, the expectations of the job, and the path to getting there.

Winners of the 2026 Talent Show pose for a photo on stage

Luis Caro Caceres Repeats as Fenton Talent Show Champion

Congratulations to all the students who participated in Fenton’s February 26 "So You Think You're All That?" Talent Show. The evening included 9 outstanding performances that ranged from individual singing and dancing, duet comedy routines, dance routines, and instrument performances. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Students United Scholarship Fund.

Judges selected the following performances for prizes:

1st Place: Luis Caro Caceres – Electric Guitar (2nd year in a row)
2nd Place: Crystal Woods – Dance
3rd Place: Jaiden Negron and Julian Feliciano – Song and Instrumental

Thank you to Students United (STUNT) for organizing the show, as well as their club sponsor Mrs. Annette Valente and all of the judges.

This 20th Anniversary Talent Show is the last for Mrs. Valente, who retired at the end of the year. Since 2007, almost $40,000 has been raised for scholarships as a result of Talent Shows! Click here to see a slideshow of 20 years of Talent Shows under the guidance of Mrs. Valente.