Beeline January 2016

for the 2016–17 School Year

Words of Welcome from Your Principals

WELCOME CLASS OF 2020

We would like to take this opportunity to give a big Zee-Bee

welcome to the students and parents of the Class of 2020. The

process for entering District 126 began with eighth grade

students taking the Explore Placement Test in December and

the first two New Tech High @ Zion-Benton East Information

Sessions in early December. The next New Tech information

sessions for 8th grade families will be at 6:30 p.m. on January

11 and 19. Also in January, our counselors will visit the feeder

schools and provide each eighth grader Course Guides and

course selection materials. We ask parents and students to

review the materials, particularly the introductions in the

Course Guides, which explain the process for selecting

courses. Please be reminded that those students who are

interested in attending New Tech High @ Zion-Benton East

must submit their applications by January 29, 2016.

For our current students and parents, please note that there

are a few changes in the Course Guides for next year. Take

some time to review these materials, which will be published

online in January at www.zbths.org and www.ntzb.org.

We are looking forward to working with you to ensure a quality

education for all of our students. If you have any questions,

please contact the appropriate division chair, counselor, or

administrator. Our telephone numbers and e-mail addresses

are listed in our Course Guides and on our websites.

Again, welcome to the Class of 2020!

Sincerely,

Chris Pawelczyk Dr. David Frusher

Principal for ZBTHS Principal for NT@ZB

www.zbths.org www.ntzb.org

Zion-Benton Township High School District 126

Beeline

Volume XLIII No. 3 A District 126 Newsletter January 2016

WELCOME

CLASS OF 2020

Incoming Freshman

Parent/Guardian Orientation

January 20 - 6:30 p.m.

Zion-Benton Township High School Main Gym

Park in the south lot and enter

through the south gym lobby.

See page two for more

information.

A special invitation to our “College & Career Fair” (page 5) and

“Winter Tailgate Party” (page 3) goes out to all current eighth grade

parents and students.

Page 2 The Beeline January 2016

This year’s freshman parent/guardian orientation meeting is scheduled for January 20 at 6:30 p.m. Questions about your

high schools, their curriculums, and how to help your student make decisions about courses and programs for the 2016-17

school year will be addressed. ZBTHS Principal Chris Pawelczyk and NT@ZB Principal Dr. David Frusher will provide

important information. In addition, department representatives will be available to answer any questions you may have

regarding a particular course. Current ZBTHS students will lead tours of the ZBTHS campus. If you have already had a

student attend ZBTHS or NT@ZB, we still strongly encourage you to attend the parent/guardian orientations.

What should I bring? Bring the Course Guides and Course Selection Sheet your student receives when high school counselors visit his or her

junior high school. Bringing your student’s Explore test results may provide additional assistance as well.

When and where will final course selection take place? Counselors will be coming to register your son or daughter at their junior high school March 1, 2, and 3.

APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 29 New Tech High @ Zion-Benton East

Class of 2020 students who are interested in attending New Tech High for high school must submit their completed

application by January 29 to the Principal’s Office at New Tech. An informational video and application forms are available

at www.ntzb.org. If you were unable to attend one of the two information sessions/tours the District provided in December

and would like more information, please attend one of the two remaining session/tours at 6:30 p.m. on January 11 or 19 at

New Tech.

MEDICAL EXAMS REQUIRED FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Incoming freshmen and students new to the district must have a completed physical and proof of immunizations prior to schedule pick-up in August. Those students who do not complete this requirement in time to participate in schedule pick-up will NOT be able to attend school on the first day of classes, but will be required to wait until this requirement is met.

Appropriate physical forms will be mailed to homes of freshmen in mid-January. Please schedule your student’s appointment for early summer to ensure you meet the schedule pick-up deadline. Also, the school physical can be used for the required athletic physical for one calendar year. Therefore, we recommend getting the physical in the early summer so that it will be good for all sports during freshman year. We recommend parents do not wait until August to schedule an appointment, as it will be difficult to secure an appointment that complies with the deadline.

WELCOME CLASS OF 2020 Incoming District 126 Freshman Parent/Guardian Orientation

January 20 – 6:30 p.m.

Main Gym of Zion-Benton Township High School Park in the south lot and enter through the south gym lobby.

IMPORTANT!

Freshman Orientation Meeting Agenda

Principals’ Greeting to Class of 2020

ZBTHS Counselor Sessions & NT@ZB Presentations

Activity Fair – Opportunity to Discover the Elective Program, Clubs, Activities,

and Athletics

College and Career Fair – Time permitting, eighth grade families may visit the

fair in the field house and visit with college and career representatives.

January 2016 The Beeline Page 3

C O M I N G A T T R A C T I O N S

WINTER TAILGATE PARTY

The Parent Bee Network is sponsoring its Winter Tailgate Party on Friday, February 12th from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the ZBTHS South Cafeteria. Come and enjoy a delicious meal provided by Stone Creek Grill for $7. Sit back and enjoy great student performances by the Band, Choir, Razzle Dazzles and other student groups while enjoying your meal. Then plan to stay to cheer on the Varsity Boys Basketball team as they take on Stevenson at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased from a Parent Bee Member, at the door, or call the Principals’ Offices at 847-731-9305 ZBTHS and 847-731-9803 NT@ZB.

Contact Jack Niemi at [email protected] if you would like to help out. Volunteers are needed for setup, serving, and clean up.

All funds raised support the Parent Bee Network Senior Scholarship Fund.

CALENDAR REMINDERS 13-15 FIRST SEMESTER EXAMS

15 End of 1st Semester

18 Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day –

NO SCHOOL

20 Class of 2020 Parent Information –

6:30 p.m. – ZBTHS Main Gym

20 College & Career Night – 7 p.m. –

ZBTHS Field House

22 Cheer Pasta Dinner – 5:30 p.m.

ZBTHS Courtyard Café

27 ZBTHS 12:40 p.m. Early Release –

School Improvement

27 College Financial Aid Information Night –

6:30 p.m. – ZBTHS South Café

FEB 2 Teacher Institute Day – NO SCHOOL

4 PBN Meeting – 7 p.m. ZBTHS IMC

6 ACT Test – 8 a.m. – ZBTHS

10 ZBTHS 12:40 p.m. Early Release –

School Improvement

11 Winter Band Concert – 7:30 p.m. - CCC

12 PBN Winter Tailgate Party – 5-7 p.m. –

ZBTHS South Café

15 Presidents Day – NO SCHOOL (Emergency

Day if needed)

16 Interact Blood Drive – 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. –

NT@ZB

18-20 Winter Play “A Delightful Quarantine –

Dramatic Comedy” –

7:30 p.m. – Pearce Rotunda Theater

23 Pops Concert – 7 p.m. ZBTHS South Café

INTERACT CLUB BLOOD DRIVE

NT@ZB Interact Club is sponsoring a blood drive with

LifeSource. The blood drive at NT@ZB will be on Tuesday,

February 16 from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Students must be

at least a junior, 17 years old, and have a parent consent form to

donate blood. For more information on the NT@ZB blood drive

contact Ms. Ahlgrim at [email protected] or 847746-0841 or

Ms. Macanowicz at [email protected] or 847-746-0883.

Parents are welcome to donate as well.

Thank you in advance for your help!

mailto:[email protected]


C O M I N G A T T R A C T I O N S

FINAL EXAM STUDY SESSIONS

The Zion-Benton Federation of

Teachers is happy to sponsor study

sessions during Final Exams Week

at both the Zion-Benton and New

Tech Campuses! If your student is

looking for a quiet place to study during exam week,

this is it! Teachers will be available on a limited basis

to offer help to students who need a little extra

assistance, and healthy snacks will be provided.

ZBTHS sessions will take place from 3:00-5:00 and

6:30-8:30 on Tuesday, January 12 and on

Wednesday, January 13. Afternoon sessions will

take place in the IMC, and evening sessions will take

place at a location TBD. New Tech Sessions will take

place in the Media Center on Tuesday, January 12

and Wednesday, January 13 from 3:00-5:00 pm and

6:30-8:30 p.m.

There is no cost to students for this service. Please

plan to drop off and pick up your students.

ENCORE PLAYERS PRESENTS:

A Delightful Quarantine: A Dramatic Comedy

Pearce Rotunda Theatre

February 18, 19, 20– 7:30 p.m.

What would it be like to be

confined with people you don't

really know? Strange visitors

leave behind a deadly disease

that leaves seven separate

households unexpectedly

quarantined. Seven story lines are deftly balanced as

people are forced to confront their personal issues.

"A Delightful Quarantine" is a heart-warming

original comedy/drama about how people react when

there's nowhere else to go.

The ensemble cast includes Kenna Jordan as

Professor Lucy Fuller, Anne Roberts as

Barbara Middlebrook, Jodie Hagemann as

Paula Middlebrook-Cobb, Jessica Korbel as

Kitty Civette, Leah Anderson as Judeen Dempsey,

Reed Polgar as Chester Banderhorn,

Michaela Martinelli as Bethany Robbins,

Dylan Thomas as Roy Robbins, Elliana Reynolds as

Diandra Reynolds, Faith McLemore as

Shirley Wigglin, Christian Lindemann as

Clark Wigglin, Julia Jones as Jennifer Wigglin,

Anna Bohon as Sue Stadler, Cory Pollard as

Dean Stadler, Sydney Jones as Mavis Jemco, Claire

Nelson as Violet Bassey, and Matthew Bestler as

Tug Goff. The assistant directors are Summer Sadler

and Angel Rico, who also lead the HAZMAT crew.

The rest of the HAZMAT crew includes:

Nicole Arnold, Reilly Buckus, Shannon Connor,

Mikey Izquiredo, Mikhaela Lumingkit,

Julieta Martinez, Rachel McFarlin, Morgan Richter,

Cady Seibert, Bryan Smith, Hannah Taylor, and

Chase Youngren.

The house opens at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are

available at the door: $8 for adults; $6 for students

and senior citizens.

SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Local scholarship applications will be available online to graduating seniors beginning January 25, 2016. ZBTHS seniors should visit http://connection.naviance.com/ zionbenton and NT@ZB seniors should visit http://connection.naviance.com/nthzbe. Local Scholarship Application is located in the “About Me” tab, in the left column under “Surveys”. Completed applications must be submitted by Friday, February 26, 2016. Scholarships will be awarded on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at the Community Honors and Awards Program.

Visit www.zbths.org for more scholarship opportunities.

If you have questions, ZBTHS seniors may contact Ms. Zameck at [email protected] or NT@ZB seniors may contact Mr. Goldman at [email protected].


Please join us for the

Zion Benton High School District 126

College and Career Fair

January 20, 2016, 7-8:30 p.m.

At the ZBTHS Fieldhouse

The College and Career Fair is open to all

current District 126 students and parents.

Eighth grade students and parents are also

invited to attend in conjunction with the

Eighth Grade Student/Parent Orientation

Night.

Come visit with representatives from

colleges and universities, trade and technical

schools, the military, and financial aid

organizations.

FINANCIAL AID

STUDENT/PARENT

INFORMATION NIGHT

JANUARY 27 AT 6:30 P.M.

On January 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the ZBTHS

South Cafeteria, the District will sponsor its

Financial Aid Student/Parent Information

Night. This informational meeting will

feature a financial aid officer from a local

college. Also provided will be information

regarding the steps for filing financial aid for

a four-year college, tech/vocational school,

or the College of Lake County.

STATE ASSESSMENT AND

SCHOOL REPORT CARD UPDATES

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)

announced that it “remains committed to providing all

11th-grade students the opportunity to take a state-

funded college entrance exam on site in their school

district during the school day.” Information about the

specifics regarding the college entrance exam for 2016,

however, have not been immediately forthcoming. In

fact, the ISBE notified high school districts that given

the failure to have a 2016 statewide budget in place, the

ISBE did not yet know if appropriations would be

available to fund the cost of providing a college

entrance exam to students this spring.

In December, Illinois provided an update, informing

school districts that the ISBE had been reviewing sealed

proposals from vendors seeking to administer a spring

2016 college entrance exam to all 11th-graders. ISBE

announced it had released a Notice of Award to the

College Board, which provides the SAT, a college

entrance exam more commonly used by coastal states.

Illinois selected SAT primarily due to the SAT proposal

being less expensive than the ACT proposal. ACT,

which has been Illinois’ preferred college entrance

exam for years, filed a protest in response to the ISBE’s

selection of the SAT. As a result, the final selection

remains pending while the protest is reviewed.

District 126 is pleased to share that given the

uncertainty of the state providing a 2016 college

entrance exam opportunity for juniors, the District

determined early on it would provide all juniors the

opportunity to take a locally funded ACT during April

2016. The selection of the ACT was the most sensible

choice given its historical use in Illinois and since

District 126’s curriculum is aligned to the ACT College

and Career Readiness Standards.

In addition to the ISBE’s delay in announcing a final

decision regarding this spring’s college entrance exam,

ISBE was also late in releasing the 2015 school report

cards. The delay in the release of the school report cards

was due to a delay in finalizing the PARCC assessment

results for freshmen who took the new online PARCC

exam in 2015. Information regarding 2015 school

report cards can be found at www.zbths.org under the

C&I tab.

http://www.zbths.org/


ZEE-BEE Boosters

Volume 1 Fall 2015

BOOSTERS’ BACKGROUND

***WHO ARE WE?***

The Athletic Boosters are a

volunteer organization that supports all of Zion-

Benton’s athletic teams. We donate our time and

talents to make our programs first class. We provide help in areas that

go beyond the “traditional” budget. We volunteer

because our contributions really help the student-athletes of ZBTHS District 126.

***WHAT WE DO!***

The Boosters raise funds through three

primary activities – concession sales, spiritwear sales and the Zee-Bee Booster golf

outing. We are always looking for help, as many hands make light work! Right now our focus is on securing workers for the

concession stand. These workers will work the numerous and exciting winter contests

coming up. Please consider calling us at 847-731-9361 to lend us a helping hand. It’s not

only fun, but for a great cause as well!

‘BEE’ INVOLVED . . .

***HOW WE DO IT!*** The Boosters meet on the first Monday of every month in the Athletic Conference Room at 7:00 p.m. We meet and discuss how we

can best help all athletes involved in Zee-Bee sports. In fact, we have helped EVERY

District #126 sports team in the past few years.

Just in the past few months, our fundraising efforts have allowed us to purchase athletic

training treatment tables, golf bags, hurdles for track, dance team studio items,

backpacks for basketball and special supplies for softball, baseball and basketball. Our efforts have really made a difference.

Wouldn’t you like to join us and make a difference too?

We are proud to announce the numerous highlights associated with the Fall season

of 2015.


BOOSTERS SALUTE FALL TEAMS & ATHLETES

Special “Congratulations” to the following individuals who

won special awards during this past fall.

Way to go BEES!

ALL-CONFERENCE

Football: Stanton Johnson,

Isaiah Vance

Boys’ Soccer: Darian Rodriguez,

Matthew Rojel

CONFERENCE MEDALISTS

Cross Country: Collin Luell, Michael Schonter

Girls’ Swimming: 400 Freestyle Relay Team

“HONORABLE MENTION” ALL-CONFERENCE Football: Daniel Armstead Boys’ Soccer: Martin Calix, Alex Rodriguez

Girls’ Volleyball: Kimberly Epker

MVP Cross Country: Collin Luell, Lainey Sears

Football: Isaiah Vance

Golf: Karl Torola

Boys’ Soccer: Matthew Rojel

Girls’ Swimming: Jennifer Rome

Girls’ Tennis: Kailee Jackola

Girls’ Volleyball: Kimberly Epker

ALL-SECTIONAL “HONORABLE MENTION” Boys’ Soccer: Martin Calix, Alex Rodriguez, and

Matthew Rojel

ALL-ACADEMIC WINNERS Fall

Karen Abrego Jessica Korbel

Vieronica Austria Christian Lindemann

Imani Bah Jonel Morris

Jacqueline Betancourt Abigail Murray

Nathalie Bermudez Graig Neal

Miranda Berry Justine Nelson

Serena Christensen Melanie Pelli

John Cruz Nathaniel Rehling

Kevin Curley Elizabeth Reynolds

Megan Deacon Andrea Rome

Rachel Deacon Jennifer Rome

Ivette Enriquez Hannah Rummel

Kimberly Epker Gabrielle Scheck

Shayla Fitzgerald Chloe Smith

Paris Frierson Jordan Stickelman

Ariel Gonsowski Amber Summers

Esmeralda Guerra Karl Torola

Kailee Jackola Austin Weber

Xavier Jackson Chrisjon Willis

Cedes Keough Erica Vargas

Olivia Kluchka Sergio Vargas

Academic Eligibility Requirements: Junior or Senior status

Receiving Varsity Letter in Fall sport 3.5 or better CUMULATIVE grade point

average

NSC SPORTSMANSHIP RECIPIENTS

Imani Bah

Miranda Berry

Justin Bradley

Monica Carrasco

John Cruz

Megan Deacon

Eric Hernandez

Karl Torola

GRIT RECIPIENTS

Miranda Berry

Justin Bradley

Shayla Fitzgerald

Andrea Rome

Gabrielle Scheck

Michael Schonter

Arturo Uriostegui

Athletic Department Highlights

District 126

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

Paid Zion, Illinois

Permit Number 8

ZION-BENTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 126

One Z-B Way

Zion, Illinois 60099

Way to Go Bees!!!!! ZeeBee Encore Players provided outstanding performances in the Fall Musical, The Addams Family.

ZeeBees from Mr. Galgan’s Woods 2 Class responded to a request from 102.3 XLC radio station to construct

a mailbox for kids to send letters to Santa.

NTZB Healthy YOUth and NTPSO hosted a Santa’s Showcase for the community.

Jada Rice is this year’s HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership) representative, and Daviona Wilson is this

year’s ILS (Illinois Leadership Seminar). HOBY is internationally recognized as a premier leadership

conference for sophomores, and ILS is Illinois’ very own outstanding Youth Leadership Seminar program.

Aimee Awkerman and Ryen Cunningham assisted the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center by

collecting gently used toy and books for the children and dog toys for the therapy dog. Aimee and Ryen also

collected $105 to purchase more items for the center.

Rachel Araujo and Alyssa Castillo collected old blankets, sheets, comforters, and towels for Operation Save-

A-Pet for shelter animals to have soft bedding rather than the cold ground to rest upon.

Katherine Gass organized a paper product collection for A Safe Place in Zion.

Jordan Stickelman and Graham Edwards with other ZeeBees passed out gifts at the Captain James A. Lovell

Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago to the hospitalized veterans.

ZBTHS National Honor Society hosted a flapjack fundraiser at Abblebees’ to benefit a local Zion family.

Documents

Beeline January 2016