Week of January 12 to January 16 2026

A student poses with their parents during wrestling senior night

January 20, 2026 2:15 PM

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Update from Superintendent Bentsen

Dear Fenton School Community,

Thank you to all our students, teachers, coaches, club sponsors, and support staff who made Thursday’s Future Freshmen Night such a success. Next year’s newest students will be the Class of 2030, and I still wonder where all the time went!

Our future students enjoyed incredible performances from our Drum Line, Cheer Squad, Dance Force, and Swing Choir during Principal Kate Ward’s welcome remarks.

Principal Kate Ward introduces herself to parents of 8th graders in the Fenton gym during Future Freshmen Night

Fenton cheerleads race across the gym with flags that depict the letters F H S

They also browsed all the tables featuring clubs, athletics, and elective courses to choose from. I was so proud to see our current students living and breathing The Bison Way as they welcomed the middle school students into Bison Nation.

An 8th grader holds up a baseball jersey after providing their contact information to the baseball team

The Fenton front gym is packed with families visiting tables of sports teams and extra curricular clubs

An 8th grader and his family visit a table to learn more about art classes at Fenton

And, of course, the building tours were very popular as our Future Freshmen were anxious to see the new STEM Wing.

Two families of 8th graders tour the new STEM Wing and pose in front of the 'Welcome' sign

Our Link Crew was amazing at guiding our guests throughout the building to each of these areas. An important part of transitioning to a new school is having a friendly face and a good example to look up to.

An 8th graders poses with Billy the Bison inside a decorative box with 'Class of 2030' on it

Members of the Fenton Links Crew pose with an 8th grader while showing him clubs and athletics he can join

Again, thank you to everyone who made Thursday possible.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday, our school joined the country in commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who devoted his life to fighting for civil rights. Each and every day, we all must continue to strive for a more welcoming and inclusive community, one that is free of bias and hate. Together we can make his dream a reality.

E-Learning Reminder

We’ve already experienced some snow and cold temperatures that, luckily, occurred at times that did not disrupt our regular school schedules. With more unpredictable weather potentially on the way, I want to remind our students and families about E-Learning in the event we need to use it. E-Learning is the short term use of Internet-based classes and it was approved for Fenton in 2019 as a tool for continuing the learning process when coming into the building is not possible due to an emergency. If we are unable to open Fenton for one reason or another, the following will be in effect:

Students will follow the regular bell schedule for the day while learning from home.

Students are expected to begin virtual instruction at the time of the bell for each period. Students should log-in to the Google Classroom for the appropriate class period and join their teacher and classmates in virtual instruction by using the Google Meet link located in the upper left hand corner of the page. Students are expected to participate in all virtual learning activities and complete any work as assigned. Teachers will be available to help and assist students virtually throughout the entire class period.

Attendance will be taken for each class.

Bison Time: Students are expected to check in to Bison Time if an E-Learning day occurs Tuesday - Friday. Teachers will take attendance for Bison Time. Bison Time will be an opportunity to make school-wide announcements to the students. If no announcements are necessary, students will be dismissed from Bison Time after check-in.

Stay warm out there.

Sam Bentsen, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Drive Safe in our Neighborhoods

As we return to school and build our routines for this semester, Fenton reminds all drivers to be courteous and safe while traveling through the neighborhoods around school. We need to be good neighbors to all the homes that surround our school.

It’s important to always focus on the road, obey the speed limit, and drive defensively. Drivers should be aware of crosswalks, especially along Grove Avenue, and yield to pedestrians as they approach the roadway.

Glenbard Parent Series Offers Parent Program on Re-Engaging Students

Fenton is affiliated with the Glenbard Parent Series, which is a large group of area schools working together to find guest speakers and produce informative literature to help families navigate life with a growing teenager.

On Tuesday January 27, guest speakers Jenny Anderson and Dr. Rebecca Winthrop will host an event titled “Checked-Out / Stressed-Out: Moving Kids From Disengagement to Drive.”

Supporting engaged learning is a goal for educators and parents alike and is crucial to addressing issues like absenteeism, boredom and the teen mental health crisis. Participants will discover how to nurture their teen’s self-awareness, resilience, and internal curiosity while fostering confident, capable learners.

The free program is available on Zoom at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link on the Glenbard Parent Series website.

We invite parents to bookmark the Glenbard Parent Series website and sign up for their emails.

Fenton students gather around the musical group No Comment A Cappella for a photo

No Instruments? No Problem!

Thank you to the incredible performers from No Comment A Cappella for visiting Fenton on Tuesday, January 13 and inspiring our students with song after song from your award winning repertoire. No Comment A Cappella is a musical group composed of students at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. Their visit showed Fenton students one of many possible next steps for those who want to pursue music after high school.

The musical group No Comment A Cappella performs in the choir room for Fenton students

A member of the musical group No Comment A Cappella performs a solo

Two members of the musical group No Comment A Cappella perform a duet

Click here to view this video on Facebook

Choir students from Fenton, Wood Dale Junior High, and Blackhawk Middle School perform on stage together

More Music for our Future Bison

A Huge Bison Shout Out to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from Blackhawk Middle School and Wood Dale Junior High for traveling to Fenton and performing unbelievably during the Tri-District Choral Festival on Friday, January 16th.

The visiting youngsters spent time learning from the high school students before joining them on stage and singing as one family.

This annual event is a celebration of the schools’ joint love of music, and a way to inspire each other to continue working hard.

Eighth graders interested in continuing with music should contact their new Fenton counselor.

Thank you to our current Fenton Bison for sharing your wisdom and answering questions from the middle school students.

Middle school students ask questions to a panel of high school students

Click here to see this video on Facebook

Click here to see this video on Instagram

Members of the Fenton Special Olympics Basketball Team celebrate with their trophy

Special Olympics Basketball is Heading to the State Finals!

Congratulations to our Fenton Bison for qualifying to the Special Olympics Illinois Region C High School Basketball State Finals! The Mighty Bison defeated Glenbard West and then York at the Region C High School Qualifying Tournament on Sunday, January 18 at Unity Junior High.

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The Region C State Finals are March 13-15 at Illinois State University.

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Coach Simon Sanchez and the rest of the squad is fundraising for their cause and still looking for participants and/or donors for their Cool School Plunge.

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The Cool School Plunge is a fundraising event for Special Olympics in which students and staff raise money by taking a chilly dip in cold water, promoting school spirit, inclusion, and acceptance for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Those who take The Plunge must raise $100 each before our plunge day on Thursday, February 19th.

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Click here or on the flier below to donate online. Contact Coach Sanchez for more information.

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Note: The three game photos in this post are from a home game in December and were taken by Matthew Frackiewicz of the Highlights Yearbook Club.

A flier for a 'Take The Plunge' fundraiser for Special Olympics taking place on February 19. Contact Coach Sanchez for more information

A male player of the Fenton Special Olympics basketball team prepares to pass the basketball

A female player of the Fenton Special Olympics basketball team dribbles past a defender toward the hoop

A female player of the Fenton Special Olympics basketball team catches a pass and runs down court.

Fenton's Varsity Dance Force team celebrates with their first place trophy

Fenton Dance Force Wins Huntley Invite!

Congratulations to the Fenton Dance Force for their incredible performances at the Huntley Invite on Sunday, January 18. Varsity won 1st place with their pirate-themed hip hop routine, and JV was a top-5 finisher with their Race Car-themed hip hop routine. Great job bringing the energy and creativity while competing against every dance style out there!

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Dance Force is not done making waves — this pirate crew is hungry for more treasure! Those who are able to attend are invited to cheer on the Bison at next weekend's postseason competitions:

Varsity Sectionals: 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 24th at Maine South High School

JV Championship: 11:35 a.m. on Sunday, January 25th at Glenbrook South High School

Fenton's junior varsity team celebrates their top 5 finish at the Huntley Invite

The auditorium was converted into a wrestling arena for senior night

Wrestling Defeats Larkin in Senior Night Spotlight

Fenton wrestling continues its new tradition of hosting senior night in the Auditorium for a spectacular spotlight spectacle to send off our 12 grade Bison. Our auditorium was retrofit for a prime time, under the lights showdown on Tuesday, January 13. Kudos to Coach Brian Hastings and his staff for giving our students a spectacular experience in their last meet at home.

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Note: Competition photos were taken by Lexie McClintock and Matthew Frackiewicz of the Highlights Yearbook Club.