Geneva High School has many outstanding students. Here are the Students of the Month for April 2013.   Elise Watson, Grade 12Nominated by Sophia Michelak For my student of the month, I chose Elise Watson. I have had the honor and joy of being Elise’s P.E. teachers for the last four semesters. Elise brings this unbelievable positive energy to class every day which makes my job that much more enjoyable. She is hard working, enthusiastic and creative in my class. She is very easy to work with and gets along well with all students. Elise will truly be missed next year and my class will not be the…

Geneva High School students succeed at all levels, from sports to extracurriculars to academics. Here are the students of the month for October.   Molly McQueeny, Grade 9Nominated by Scott Hennig It is my pleasure to nominate Molly McQueeny as our Physical Education student of the month. Molly has been a joy to have in class since day one. She does everything asked of her with enthusiasm and great effort. During the teambuilding unit, Molly displayed her leadership in different activities and showed willingness to work with other students. Molly is always willing to help a classmate and …

St. Charles Bank & Trust—Geneva and students from Geneva High School recently partnered in a celebration of young art talent. From April 9 to April 13, 22 Geneva students displayed artwork, in a variety of mediums, at St. Charles Bank & Trust on Kaneville Road in Geneva. The public was invited to be the judges for the art competition. Awards were presented at the bank on April 13. The winners are as follows: Drawings Elizabeth Koskiewicz (1st) Eddy Shaughnessy (2nd) Amanda Ebert (3rd) Painting Tarah Dunn (1st) Madi Juby (2nd) Taylor Nelson (3rd) Photography Stephanie Krugler (1st) Dana Brown…

Ann Green, a junior at Geneva Community High School, is one of only 18 flute players in the United States to be chosen for the National High School Flute Choir. Among the numerous talented applicants from across the nation who competed for this prestigious event, only 26 students total were chosen; 18 C flutes, 2 piccolos, 3 alto flutes, and 3 bass flutes. Ann was one of the 18 C flutes selected. To be considered, Ann had to learn and perform the following challenging selections:  Gabriel Fauré, Morceau de Concours Pierre Octave Ferroud, Three Oriental Pieces, No. 3 “Toan-Yan, The Festival of…

Most mothers of high school students are lucky to get a nice note and a Starbucks gift card on their birthdays.   But on Mary Lenahan’s birthday—Aug. 15—she watched Gov. Pat Quinn sign into law a bill that she and her daughter, Alex Simko, 16, have been advocating for since its inception. “I couldn’t believe the signing actually happened on my birthday. It was a wonderful way to spend it,” Lenahan said. The bill was the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which would allow school nurses to keep undesignated Epi-Pens in a First Aid kit in case a student has an allergic reaction.  It …

Mention an audition for a production of Annie, and you'll have a room overflowing with hopeful little girls faster than you can say, "Leapin' lizards!" That was the case a few months ago when 8-year-old Kaia Ebel tried out for Fox Valley Repertory's production of the iconic musical. But as Kaia performed her monologue and sang Castle on a Cloud from Les Miserables for the casting directors, the soon-to-be third-grader at Williamsburg Elementary wasn't nervous.  "I was just having fun," Kaia said.   And she had a lot more fun a few days later when she learned she had landed the lead role.   "I…

Last year, Alex Hardy spent seven hours every weekday at Geneva Community High School, just like any other student. But when the final bell rang, she didn't catch the bus or head down the street to Mike & Miguel's.   She danced.    For 20 to 25 hours a week, Hardy, now 16, trained with M&M Dance Company. "At school, you have to do the exact same thing every day, but you could do whatever you wanted when you went to dance class," Hardy said. And when it came to dance, there was nothing she didn't want to do. "I do jazz, lyrical, ballet. I do a little tap, musical theater, hip hop, pointe—yeah…

As an elementary school student, Alex Simko ate lunch alone every day. Cafeteria workers lectured anyone who came within 10 feet of her table.“They didn’t even give me a real table like the others; they gave me a card table off in the corner,” Simko, now 16, remembered.  “I was like, ‘Could you get any more obvious?’ ”An isolated table was the only way school officials knew how to deal with Simko’s severe food allergies--she’s allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, and as a child, she was also allergic to beef, corn and eggs.“I went to Whole Foods a lot,” said Simko’s mother, Mary Lenahan, …

2011 started on the worst note possible for Geneva High School junior April Comperda.  On Jan. 1, one of her close friends, Dakota Lewis, committed suicide. “It’s hard, you know?” said Comperda, 17.  “But I’ve coped with it.” Comperda was inspired to create an outlet for her grief in Operation Snowball, a national drug and alcohol prevention program that teaches high school students leadership skills. It was where she had met Lewis, and she wasn’t going to let his death go unnoticed.  "(I wanted) to do something for him and to help other people, because he was a big part of Snowball, too,” …

The St. Francis Spartans had a record-breaking year. It’s the first time in school history the baseball team qualified for the super sectionals. During the season, they won twice as many games as they lost. But the Spartans’ right fielder and long-time Geneva resident P.J. Preusser can’t tell you his batting average or how many runs he’s scored. Nobody on the team can. “We take team stats over personal stats,” Preusser, 17, said.  “We play for each other.” It’s all part of head coach Rich Janor’s philosophy: “We, not me.” The slogan is printed on the back of each player’s cap and on practice …

For a few hours every morning this year, Dan Barger hurtled through obstacle courses, found missing objects while blindfolded and raced to put on bulky gear in less than a minute. At 11:30 a.m., he returned to Geneva Community High School and finished his classes—just another typical day. But Barger, 17, is not a typical student. As part of the Fox Valley Career Center’s Fire Science I program, Barger and several other GHS students faced a military-based regimen of intense training.  Every morning, the students would stand at attention until their instructor came in, say the pledge of …

For some, Disney World might be the place “where dreams come true.”  For others, like Williamsburg Elementary third-grader Mary Clare Voreis, it’s the place where dreams are born. On a family trip to the happiest place on earth, then-3-year-old Voreis discovered her love for art. “She drew a picture of all the princesses and all the characters and made her own autograph book,” her mother Christine Voreis said. With trademark Disney enthusiasm, the characters gushed over how cute Mary Clare’s pictures were, but her parents were baffled at where her natural talent had come from.  “I really don’…

At 18, Grant Fairchild can vote, buy a car or join the military. He isn’t a kid any more. Still, when it comes to choosing a “whiz kid,” science teacher Kevin Gannon says there’s no better example than Fairchild.  “When you mention the word 'whiz kid,' I think of somebody that has got a very quick intellect,” Gannon said. “Grant’s intellect is that.  Not only is it vast—he can retain knowledge like you can’t believe—but he can access it very quickly.” Gannon noticed that ability when Fairchild took his AP Biology class as a junior.  “If we needed somebody to have that factoid to continue a …

Whiz Kid: Nick Finnberg Whiz Kid's School: Geneva High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Humanitarian and Football Player Nick Finnberg is getting on a plane Thursday heading to Tempe, AZ, to participate in a 4.2 mile run that is near and dear to his heart. A 4.2 miles for a run may seem a strange distance, but the number is symbolic—it is the number that ASU/Pro Football player Pat Tillman wore before he gave up a $3.6 million contract in the NFL to join the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. “My parents taught my sister and I at a young age that we should pick a few charities that we …

Whiz Kid(s): Eighth-grade WordMaster students Whiz Kids School: Geneva Middle School North Whiz Kids Accomplishment:  GMS North eighth-grade students have a chance to win first or second place in the nation in the final WordMaster challenge this spring after earning fourth place in the nation during the first two competitions.  Whiz Kids Key to Awesomeness:  The WordMasters Challenge is a national language arts competition, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year: fall, winter, and spring. Each set includes 25 words, and each challenge uses the new …

Seventh grade students at Geneva Middle School South will participate in the Blackhawks-Goodwill Industries "Pass It On Challenge" beginning Monday, April 4 through the end of the month. The school will accept donations of "gently used" clothing and drop off the items at the Batavia Goodwill on Randall Road. The students are hoping to be the school in the Chicagoland area that donates the most items, earning them a visit from Stanley Cup champion and Blackhawks player Brian Campbell. The winning school will also receive a trophy or plaque, two autographed replica jerseys, and 15 autographed …

Whiz Kid: Emily Schooley Whiz Kid's School: Geneva High School Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: First GHS female to compete in CAD State competition Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Emily Schooley defies the male dominated field of science and engineering and she encourages other girls to join her.  Schooley works with Northern Illinois University, Motorola and Girl Scouts of America to mentor middle school girls to explore engineering and science.  She is also president of the Geneva High School Engineering Club. Last week Schooley made history by being the first female to qualify for the Illinois …

Whiz Kid: Cameron Graber Whiz Kid's School: Geneva Middle School South Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Eighth grade student council president, actor and humanitarian Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: “Vote for Cameron Graber and you’re guaranteed a smile!” was the slogan Cameron believes earned him the position of eighth grade student council president at Geneva Middle School South.  Cameron also credits his landslide win against three other students to his points brought up in his speech: better food in the cafeteria and fun assemblies. Cameron is fulfilling his promises throughout the year with …

"You've got to meet this kid. He's amazing," Tom Finnberg said. This was before Geneva Patch was launched, and I ran into the amazing and frenetic-fundraising Finnberg at Caribou Coffee. Finnberg, of course, is the man with the mission to Rebuild Burgess Field. The kid he was talking about was Kevin Brouillette. It occurs to me as I write this that, if I were a teenager, I might not want to be called either a whiz or a kid. But there's little doubt that Kevin qualifies for the honor.  Whiz Kid: Kevin Brouillette Grade: junior at GHS Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Website design, poster design, …

Geneva Patch spotted this story on the Centre Daily Times website, so all the credit for this week's Whiz Kid pick has to go to the folks there. Thank you, editors at centredaily.com! The credit for the photo has to go to Terry Emma, who came to the rescue by taking Ellen's picture at a moment's notice on deadline day. And we're going out on a limb here, but some credit has to go to Ellen's parents, teachers and role models for whatever you guys did to encourage such a terrific human being. But obviously, the key to awesomeness goes to Ellen Wildman, Geneva Patch's second-ever Whiz Kid. Whiz …