Week of November 4 to November 8

Josslyn Wade qualifies for the IHSA Cross Country State Finals

November 9, 2024 12:00 PM

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Update from Interim Superintendent Bentsen

Dear Fenton School Community,

Can you believe that we’re already looking ahead to NEXT school year? It’s pretty amazing how fast time can fly when we’re learning each and every day.

Families of our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors received an email a few days ago with a link to our Course and Program Description Catalog describing the process for selecting classes for the 2025 - 2026 school year.

Student course selection will begin next Wednesday, November 13th. Counselors will be going to Bison Time classes to talk with students about grade-level requirements, course options, and to assist students in the course selection process.

Please consider browsing the catalog and talking as a family about what classes fit your students interest and potential career plans.

November 20 Career Fair

For students that are still unsure about their potential career, we will have more than 50 industry professionals at Fenton on Wednesday, November 20th for our latest Career Fair during all lunch periods.

Students will have the chance to explore diverse career opportunities by talking with people who do those jobs and achieve those goals, helping them make informed decisions about their future paths.

The Career Fair is also a great opportunity to network with a professional who might provide great advice or inspiration over time.

Our visitors also gain a potential pipeline of potential talent to employ in their industries, making Fenton an important part of the local and regional economy.

Cross Country Runner is State Bound

As we progress through the year, we now have our first State Bound students.

Congratulations to junior Josslyn Wade, who qualified for the November 9 IHSA Cross Country State Finals after taking second place out of 140 runners at the November 2 Sectionals Meet.

Two weeks earlier, Fenton hosted the Upstate Eight Conference meet and Josslyn took second place, setting a new record for being the 7th fastest female to ever run on the course, and fastest Fenton female of all time.

Friends, family, teammates, and teachers joined this morning for a State Bound sendoff ceremony before Josslyn and her coaches departed for Peoria.

This is Josslyn's second time going to state. Good luck Josslyn!

Let’s also congratulate Matthew Andersen of the boys cross country team. Matthew is just a sophomore and he finished 34th out of 139 male runners at the Sectional Meet. That is a remarkable achievement and he is another rising star here at Fenton.

Veterans Day

Finally, Monday is Veterans Day and we will thank our current and retired members of the armed forces who sacrificed so much of themselves to make sure our freedoms are protected.

As we all have a little more free time over the weekend, please get a head start and express your appreciation to any veteran in your family or who you know. I’m sure it would make their day.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Sam Bentsen, Ed.D.

Interim Superintendent

Barbie Bungee Jumping

Students in Math 1 compiled data for their Barbie Bungee project. Starting with one Rubber Band, they dropped their Barbie and measured the distance she fell. Increasing by one Rubber Band they ran five trials for each length up to six Rubber Bands. In the end, they created an equation and used it to predict the number of Rubber Bands to safely launch Barbie from the stadium bleachers.

Students measure how far Barbie falls with Rubber Bands and make adjustments to keep her safe

INCubator students pitch potential mentors

INCubator Students Meet Mentors

Students in Fenton’s new Business Incubator Program met their potential mentors for the first time on Tuesday, October 29th. Each group took turns presenting their proposed new business to the mentors as a way to persuade the professionals to join their team.

A huge Bison Thank You to local business owners Armando Perez, Nancy Panos

Karen Cruze, and Kelly Bender for providing our students with important feedback.

Guided by these real-world entrepreneurs and business professionals serving as coaches and mentors, students work in teams to navigate key stages of entrepreneurship, including ideation, market research, and business plan development.

Throughout the year, students also gain knowledge in essential business areas such as marketing, accounting, human resources, and the legal framework of running a business. The course culminates in Pitch Week, where student teams present their innovative ideas to actual investors, with the chance to secure funding to bring their business plans to life.

If you would like to be a mentor two days out of the month or if you’d like to make a tax-deductible donation to Pitch Week, please contact Michelle Papanicolaou by sending an email to papanicolaou@fenton100.org.

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.

Speech Team Starts Season in Style, Takes 3rd at Joliet West

Congratulations to Fenton's speech team for starting the 2024 - 2025 season by earning 3rd place out of 23 schools at the Joliet West Tournament on Saturday, November 2.

The Speech Team brought home the following individual awards:

Faith Wrzeciona took 1st in Poetry and 2nd in Dramatic Interp,
Daniel Garfias took 3rd in Extemp Speaking,
Yasmin Hattar and Jayden Mojarro took 3rd in Humorous Duet Acting,
Tereza Belej took 3rd in Prose and 5th in Informative Speaking,
Angelina Varghese took 4th in Informative Speaking and 6th in Prose,
Arturo Hurtado took 4th in Special Occasion Speaking,
Wren Hamilton took 4th in Special Occasion Speaking,
Lex Mikulski took 5th in Humorous Interp,
Alita Thach took 5th in Original Oratory and 5th in Prose,
Keya Shah took 5th place in Informative,
Alonso Romero took 6th in Humorous Interp,
Analia Arteaga took 6th in Poetry,
Ameera Saadeh took 6th in Radio.

Grady Vassar and Greg Platek were top novices in Humorous Duet Acting. Kayla Williams was top novice in Special Occasion Speaking.

Speech Team poses after taking 3rd place at Joliet West

Students in Fenton’s Multilingual Department setup a Day of the Dead Altar

Honoring the Dead

Students in Fenton’s Multilingual Department set up a Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda in the Student Commons space to honor loved ones that have passed on from our students and staff community. Day of the Dead is typically celebrated the first week of November. Thank you to everyone who participated and to all the visitors who honored our beloved on display.

Coat Drive Serves Hundreds of Students

Community Friends hosted its annual Winter Coats4Kids program on Saturday, November 2 in partnership with the Bensenville Community Foundation, Warm Coats for Cool Kids, Grand Subaru, and many other partners. In addition to providing nearly 400 new winter coats to children in Bensenville and Wood Dale, they added a winter clothing pop-up event this year. As a result, 73 families or 339 individuals received nearly 1,000 items of clothing!

Thank you to Grand Subaru, the Bensenville Foundation, and all the amazing volunteers who helped with distribution. Thank you to our Fenton counselors and social workers who made referrals for this program.

Volunteers pose during the 2024 Bensenville Coat Drive

Noteworthy Dates

November 9 – ILMEA District 1 Festival
November 13 – Clubs & Activities Picture Day, after school in the ARC
November 14 – Clubs & Activities Picture Day, after school in the ARC
November 14 – Vocal Solo & Ensemble Contest
November 16 – ILMEA District 1 Jazz Festival
November 20 – Board of Education Meeting, 7 pm
November 27 – Thanksgiving Break
November 28 – Thanksgiving Break
November 29 – Thanksgiving Break
December 1 – NHS Fall Community Service Deadline
December 5 – Students on Stage (Bison Scripts) Showcase
December 13 – Holiday Assembly
December 15 – Band & Choir Holiday Concert, 2 pm
December 18 – Final Exams Day 1
December 18 – Board of Education Meeting, 7 pm
December 19 – Final Exam Day 2
December 20 – Final Exam Day 3

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