Catherine V. Zivec (nee Alaimo), 92, a longtime resident of Plainfield, was born in Joliet, on February 22, 1925 and passed away at Lakewood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Plainfield, on January 12. We will miss her joyful, kind, and caring personality. She loved to garden and never missed an opportunity to enjoy time outdoors in the sun. Her infectious laugh brought a smile to everyone.

Catherine is survived by her loving daughter, Phyllis A. (Howard “Skip”) Weaver of Plainfield; loving granddaughter, Karen S. (Jason) Bender of Los Angeles, Cal.; one sister, Jeanie (Arne) Young and one brother, Robert Alaimo of Joliet. And, also numerous nieces and nephews survive.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Edward Zivec (March 1984) and loving daughter, Marilyn Burdick (June 2013); parents Joseph Alaimo and Myrtle Harrison; sisters, Rose Mary Parker, Carol Smeets and Marie Starmann.

A special thank you goes to all the caregivers at Lakewood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Providence Hospice.

Visitation was January 16 at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, 15629 S. Route 59, Plainfield. A Mass of Christian Burial followed. Interment: St. Mary Immaculate Cemetery, Plainfield. Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to Providence Hospice, 18601 North Creek Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477, (708) 342-8100.

Arrangements by Overman-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 15219 S. Joliet Rd., Plainfield, IL.

For more information, please visit www.overman-jones.com or call (815) 436-9221.

Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Joliet, Lockport, Plainfield and Romeoville libraries participating in month-long program

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died April 4, 1968. Yet even 50 years later, it is nearly impossible to calculate the immense impact of Dr. King’s Civil Rights activism, social and cultural leadership, and commitment to peace.

The 2018 Great Read community literacy program will honor Dr. King’s life and legacy with a series of programs and special events in February.

The Great Read is a consortium of public and private organizations promoting literacy, reading, conversation, and community in Plainfield and surrounding southwest suburban partner communities since 2004.

Opening gala

The 2018 Great Read Opening Gala is Feb. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the at the White Oak Library in Romeoville, 201 W. Normantown Road. Admission is free

Renowned professional storyteller Linda Gorham will introduce listeners to “Martin,” a young boy growing up in the South, who would one day become the most visible spokesperson of the Civil Rights Movement.

Light Refreshments will be available.

Art contest

Artists of all ages in participating communities are invited and encouraged to enter the 2018 Great Read Art Contest. Entries must be dropped off at the artist’s local library by February 14.

Enter at your local library where you could win in one of three age groups from pre-kindergarten to adult. Local winners in each group will move on to the final contest to compete for $50 Barnes & Noble gift cards.

Participating libraries include: Plainfield Public Library; Fountaindale Public Library, Bolingbrook; Joliet Public Library, Black Road Branch; Joliet Public Library, Main Branch; Joliet Junior College Library; Lemont Public Library; White Oak Library, Romeoville Branch; White Oak Library, Lockport Branch; and White Oak Library, Crest Hill Branch.

All entries will be digitally displayed and winners will be announced at The Great Read’s Grand Finale at 6 p.m., February 28at the Joliet Public Library/Black Road Branch, 3395 Black Road, Joliet.

All artwork must be picked up March 2-12 at the artist’s home library. Artwork not picked up by 4 p.m. March 12 will be recycled.

Detailed information and entry forms are available on the Great Read web site (www.greatread.org) and at participating libraries.

 Grand finale

The 2018 Great Read Grand Finale will be held from 6-8 p.m. February 28 at the Joliet Public Library/Black Road branch, 3395 Black Road, Joliet. Admission is free.

Chicago musician and educator Maggie Brown who will perform Civil Rights-era music as part of a program titled “Legacy – Our Wealth of Music.”

2018 Great Read Art Contest winners will be announced, and prizes awarded.

Refreshments will be available. Books will be given to attendees.

Morningstar Mission

In Dr. King’s spirit of giving and peace, please bring canned goods or supplies to the Kickoff and/or Finale events to benefit Bags of Hope, Morningstar Mission of Joliet and St. John Food Pantry. Please visit www.greatread.org  for a list of needed supplies and more information.

Great Read February

Throughout February, community members can also take part in a long list of Great Read-related programs and special activities at the Great Read’s participating libraries. Program information is posted on the Great Read website.

The 2018 Great Read is proudly presented by: the Plainfield School District 202; the Plainfield, Fountaindale, Joliet, Lemont, and White Oak public libraries; Joliet Junior College; Plainfield Township; and the Joliet Barnes and Noble store.

The 2018 Great Read is also supported by generous grants and in-kind donations from the Plainfield Foundation for Excellence, the Friends of the Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield Township, the Joliet Barnes & Noble, Voyager Media, WDCB Jazz Radio (90.9 FM) and participating libraries.

Please see The Great Read web site for more information about this year’s program: www.greatread.org

Residents United for Safer Highways brought representatives, officials, community together to discuss transportation, infrastructure

Megann Horstead | For The Bugle

With 37 fatal crashes dating between 2001 and 2016, transportation infrastructure issues along Interstate 80 near Joliet became the focus of a recent community town hall meeting.

The event, at University of St. Francis in Joliet, organized by a group dubbed Residents United for Safer Highways (RUSH), joined a number of transportation organizations’ representatives, state and local municipal officials, residents and other community members, seeking solutions to the issues noted over the years.

Marc Poulos, executive director of the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, referenced the number of fatalities and said it is time to make investments to prevent vehicular crashes, many of which result from the design of the roadway.

“I can tell you that from doing this transportation and infrastructure [job] for the last decade, a lot of these things are avoidable,” he said.

A Phase I study of Interstate 80 is to be completed in 2018 to give representatives for transportation organizations and state and local officials insight on how to approach the project.

The Illinois Department of Transportation tackled a number of transportation infrastructure projects over the years, with efforts taken on to add new lanes to Interstate 80 East, extend Interstate 55, widen arterial roads in Will County, and fund the multimodal facility in Joliet.

“IDOT understands and the State of Illinois understands that we have issues here, that we have problems here, and we need to find solutions sooner rather than later,” said Randall Blankenhorn, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Blankenhorn wanted it to be clear that IDOT is not resting on its laurels.

“At the end of the day, IDOT isn’t going to fix this problem by itself,” he said. “We need to have our communities; we need to have the county; we need to have the public helping us think through what are the right solutions, how do we do it faster, how do we do it more efficiently, how do we more wisely spend taxpayer dollars, to make sure that we’re providing that safe, efficient system that we really want to talk about.”

When asked if Illinois State Toll Highway Authority would be willing to take Interstate 80 off IDOT’s hands and make it a tollway, Kevin Artl, chief operating officer for the Illinois Tollway, said they must study the situation to determine if it is feasible to get involved. There are several options to be explored, some of which require the federal government to take it up and others that do not.

Joliet is one of several communities affected by the issues facing Interstate 80 whereby Joliet officials have been lauded for efforts to make transportation infrastructure a priority.

“I know I’ve been to Washington, D.C. talking about this issue,” Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said. “[I’ve] been complimented by labor leaders in Washington, D.C. and elected officials who are pointing to the [Houbolt Road] bridge as the way going forward.”

The City has not yet announced when work slated to begin on the Houbolt Road bridge project, which will utilize a public-private partnership to make it possible. Joliet officials recently took action to form a pact with Will County dealing with some related property along Vetter Road to help advance the effort. Efforts to construct the Houbolt Road bridge will rely on $21 million in state funding and another $160 to 180 million through a public-private partnership.

Poulos said having the town hall meeting is a step in the right direction and applauded everyone on hand for coming out.

“You have to get people that are in the community involved in order to voice their opinions about this and show up to things like this to effectuate change,” he said.

BOLINGBROOK      14-2    3-0    What a week! Beat MP, Steelmen; H-F (9-4, 3-0)  Friday

ROMEOVILLE         15-3    7-0    The Ville SPC co-leaders with Steelmen

JOLIET CENTRAL    14-3    7-0    January 26 Steelmen-Spartans in Jolliet

BENET                     14-4    2-1    Redwings take home WW South crown

MAINE SOUTH       14-5    3-2    Hawks-New Trier postponed Friday

WESTMONT           13-3    5-2    Two game I-8 skid for Sentinels.

 NORTHRIDGE         12-5    6-0    Perfect in Independent League

PLAINFIELD EAST   13-8    4-3    Bengals second at WW South

MINOOKA               12-10  4-3    2-2 at Galesburg MLK

DG SOUTH              10-8    2-3    Mustangs looking to return to Terrific Ten

LISLE                        10-9    5-2    Lions win fourth straight at Coal City

NOTRE DAME        10-10   2-1    Fourth at WW South; Stun Oak Park

JOLIET WEST             8-9    4-3    Fall to Porters on Tuesday

PLAINFIELD N.          8-10  2-5    Fall to Crete-Monee at Oswego MLK

MAINE EAST             8-12  1-4    Demons on a roll

LOCKPORT                6-9     0-3    Porters shock Tigers on Tuesday

NILES WEST              5-9     1-4    Wolves beat Glenbrook South; first CSL South win

PLAINFIELD C             6-11   1-6    Roll past Bradley-Bourbonnais on Tuesday

JCA                             6-14   1-2    Hilltoppers win two last week

PLAINFIELD S            3-17   2-5    Win Plainfield Civil War against North

BOLINGBROOK         15-2     4-0

JOLIET CENTRAL       15-3     8-0

ROMEOVILLE            16-4     8-0

BENET                        15-4     3-1

MAINE SOUTH         14-5      3-2

WESTMONT              14-3     5-2     SENTINELS MOVE INTO I-8 FINAL FOUR ON TUES.

NORTHRIDGE           13-5      7-0    OPEN UP 2 GAME ISL LEAD WITH WIN OVER LATIN

DG NORTH                11-6      3-3

LISLE                          11-9      5-2    SEVEN IN A ROW AS LIONS ROAR INTO I-8 SEMIS

DG SOUTH                10-9      2-4

MINOOKA                 12-11    4-4

NOTRE DAME          10-11    2-2

JOLIET WEST             8-10     4-4

PLAINFIELD NORTH  8-11     2-6

MAINE EAST              8-13     1-5

LOCKPORT                 6-10     0-4

NILES WEST               5-10     1-5

PLAINFIELD C.           6-12      1-7

JCA                              6-15     1-3

PLAINFIELD SOUTH  3-18     2-6

VOYAGER MEDIA PUBLICATIONS TERRIFIC TEN
1. (1) BOLINGBROOK         15-2  AFTER LAST WEEK ANY DOUBT WHO NO. 1 IS? NO!
2. (2) JOLIET CENTRAL       15-3  HOST THE VILLE FOR SPC CROWN FRIDAY
3. (5) BENET                         15-4  RAMPAGING REDWINGS BEAT MARIST (18-2) AT MARIST
4. (3) MAINE SOUTH          14-5  SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE ENTIRE GARDINER FAMILY
5. (4)ROMEOVILLE             16-4  AFTER WEST AURORA DEBACLE SPARTANS MUST WIN FRI.
6. (6)PLAINFIELD EAST      14-8  BAD FOURTH QUARTER; STILL ANOTHER BENGAL WIN
7. (8) DG NORTH                 11-6 RED-HOT TROJANS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
8. (7) NOTRE DAME          10-11 PLAYED MARIAN CATHOLIC TOUGHON FRIDAY
9. (NR) DG SOUTH             10-9 MUSTANGS HAVE BIG WIN OVER TROJANS
10 (10) MINOOKA              12-11 INDIANS STRUGGLING BUT REMAIN TERRIFIC
ON THE BUBBLE WESTMONT (14-3) NORTHRIDGE PREP (12-5) LISLE (11-9)

 – Compiled by Drake Skleba/For the Bugle

Multi-library literacy program honors Martin Luther King all February with multi-media events

By Laura Katauskas

Staff Reporter

Bringing communities together not only through literacy but in celebrating diversity, local libraries and community organizations are set to begin, “The Great Read, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — A Life, A Legacy.”

In a program that crosses several communities, bringing together residents throughout Will County, The Great Read will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death by focusing on his life and lasting legacy.

The Great Read Kickoff begins at 6 p.m., Feb. 1, at the White Oak Library, Romeoville, 201 Normantown Road with a performance by professional storyteller Linda Gorham. She will introduce listeners to Martin, a young boy growing up in the South, who would one day become the most visible spokesperson and activist of the Civil Rights Movement.

In the spirit of giving, the Great Read committee is asking patrons to bring canned goods or supplies to the kick off and finale events. Donations will benefit Bags of Hope, Morningstar Mission of Joliet, and St. John Food Pantry.

The Great Read started in 2004 as a one-time, roundtable discussion about censorship between the Plainfield Public Library and School District 202, around the Ray Bradbury classic, “Fahrenheit 451.” In 2008, Reading Across Plainfield became The Great Read when new partners from Joliet and Bolingbrook joined the program to encourage broader community participation, better reflect the areas served and emphasize the program’s literary focus.

Its members now include the Plainfield, Joliet, Fountaindale, Lemont, and White Oak public library systems, and Joliet Junior College.

The White Oak Library in conjunction with the 2018 Great Read community literacy program will honor Dr. King’s life and legacy with a series of programs and special events in February. The next event at the Romeoville branch, History of the Chicago Race Riots with Author Claire Harfield will take place at 7 p.m., February 7. For a full list of events at the White Oak Library district check out the calendar of events at www.whiteoaklibrary.org.

“The Great Read is important because it allows libraries to come together to provide in-depth programming on topics that have impacted our culture and literary heritage,” said Patricia Jarog, Great Read committee member and White Oak Library, Lockport Branch Manager. “This year’s theme examines the indelible mark left by Dr. King, and whether or not we were alive during the Civil Rights Movement, it’s a great time to examine this important time in American history and he man who defined it.”

For a complete list of activities at all participating libraries, check the Great Read website at www.greatread.org.

In addition, area artists of all ages are invited and encouraged to take part in the Great Read Art Contest. Winners in three age groups from pre-kindergarten to adult will win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card, and could win additional prizes through their home libraries. The deadline to submit artwork is Feb. 14.

The 2018 Great Read Finale Gala will feature an evening with Maggie Brown, at 6 pm. Feb. 28 at the Joliet Black Road Library. The Great Read Art Contest winners will also be announced and awarded at the finale.

The 2018 Great Read is also supported by generous grants and in-kind donations from the Plainfield Foundation for Excellence, the Friends of the Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield Township, the Joliet Barnes & Noble, Voyager Media, WDCB Jazz Radio (90.9 FM) and participating libraries.

Br_greatread_012518

Logo and artwork

Council also pays Rialto, creates prison panel, OKs land swap

 By Megann Horstead | For The Bugle

The Joliet City Council had a chance last week to take a close look at the Will County Freight Mobility Plan, a project designed to enhance quality of life, address environmental issues and promote economic vitality all while reducing the need for freight traffic.

Joliet, like other communities in Will County, is affected by concerns highlighted in this study.

A number of partners in the area played a part in propelling this project forward.

History shows that a need for the Will County Freight Mobility Plan has been in the making for about 15 years.

“We came to the conclusion that understanding the freight industry in Will County was the first thing we needed to do,” said John Greuling, president and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development. “The growth in the [logistics] industry has been astounding, but we didn’t understand it.”

The findings of the study, as presented, show that more than three million containers coming and leaving the area intermodal yards carry over $65 billion of products that are managed in Will County.

“We have become this largest inland container for North America,” Greuling said.

Since 2005, logistics job growth in Will County has grown by 138 percent, compared to 10 percent in the Chicago region and 9 percent in Kansas City.

Grueling wanted it to be clear that planning and new transportation investments are critical moving forward.

Future projects highlighted in the plan referenced a need for improvements to Interstate 80, lane additions to Interstate 55 south of Interstate 80, reconstruction of the interchange near Interstate 80 and Interstate 55, and work completed on the interchange joining Interstate 55 and Weber Road.

“We need help from the state and the region and the federal government to make this happen,” Grueling said.

Councilwoman Jan Quillman questioned how Grueling and others were received during a recent trip in which the Will County Freight Mobility Plan was presented to members of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Grueling said Congressional leaders shared much of the same sentiments as those in Will County.

When asked by Quillman what type of impact they could have nationally if Will County shut down its movement of freight traffic, Greuling said the result would be significant.

Quillman questioned how Congressional leaders reacted to the idea of Will County trying to seek the Federal Highway Administration’s involvement.

Greuling said it is still up in the air how the county should proceed funding-wise.

“We’re encouraging them to consider putting more [money] in [for freight projects,] so that we could go after that,” Greuling said. “Because we’re just not [seeking] your usual road improvement, we’re carrying a lot of weight, here, so to speak.”

For more information on the freight mobility plan, visit www.willcountyfreight.org.

Rialto gets $250,000

Also during the meeting, the Joliet City Council authorized the execution of an agreement with the Will County Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, approving the issuance of one payment valued at $250,000.

The City of Joliet will extend another installment of $250,000 to the Rialto in July, so long as a set of conditions is met.

The pact stipulates that the Rialto must have hosted or booked at least 30 performances, excluding those targeted toward grade-school children, between Jan. 1 and June 30 to receive its second payment. Other conditions require the Rialto to pay its payroll taxes, make timely payment of its 2017 audit, refrain from requesting additional City funds, submit quarterly updates to securing a dedicated funding source, and present a draft capital plan.

In a 7-1 vote, officials decided to authorize the agreement to provide the Rialto with funding.

Prison Committee formed

Officials moved to amend a set of resolutions and reaffirm the existence of the City of Joliet’s committees.

Council action was predicated, in part, because of the lack of meetings held for the Housing Authority Liaison Committee thereby giving rise to it being dissolved.

“As we know, they’ve done a great,” Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said. “They’ve pulled out of that status for doing outstanding work.”

History shows the committee in question was formed at a time when the Joliet Housing Authority was listed as a troubled agency.

“I’m asking if we can disband that committee and instead take those committee members and make a Prison Committee,” O’Dekirk said. “As you know, we have recently voted to acquire the prison through a lease.”

O’Dekirk wants direct City Council involvement, especially considering all of the new activity occurring on the prison grounds.

Members of the Prison Committee are Bettye Gavin, Terry Morris and Don “Duck” Dickinson.

Moving forward, a liaison will remain assigned to the Joliet Housing Authority.

 Land swap approved

Will County and the City of Joliet have agreed to a land swap needed to support the new courthouse, the opening of Chicago Street and other related matters.

The pact, as unanimously approved, is meant to facilitate responsibilities between the two governing bodies, express interests in promoting mutual interests and working cooperatively.

History shows that council action was long in the making for the two projects.

The agreement strengthens the City’s desire for downtown Joliet to serve as a vibrant commercial, governmental, transportation, cultural, recreational and residential center.

O’Dekirk wanted to thank all parties involved in the creation of the pact.

“This is a big agreement for Joliet, for downtown,” he said. “Thank you for coming to the table and working this out.”

JT_COUNCILFREIGHT-greuling_01-24-18.jpg

Will County Center for Economic Development president and CEO John Grueling (right) delivers a presentation Jan. 16 to the Joliet City Council on the Will County Freight Mobility Plan. (Megann Horstead/For The Bugle)

By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle

In the battle for supremacy, between the top two schools, in the Southwest Prairie Conference on January 26, the Spartans of Romeoville and the host Steelmen of Joliet Central, put on a show for 40 minutes, at “The Old Barn.”

With the host Steelmen up 56-55 with 10 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Steelmen senior guard Don Joachim, stepped to the charity stripe. Joachim calmly sank both free throws, for a 58-55 Steelmen lead.

Romeoville’s (16-5, 8-1) DeAndre Heckard’s, desperation three-point shot, banged off the rim. When Steelmen senior Johnny Fuller, hauled down the rebound, Joliet Central (16-3, 9-0) had a 58-55 double-overtime win and sole possession of first place in the SPC.

“I had to make those two free throws with ten seconds left,” Joachim said. “I have to get in the gym and work on my free-throw shooting. I missed a few tonight.”

Joachim had an average night at the free throw line, making six of nine. That was the only part of the Steelmen senior’s game, that was average.

Joachim would finish with a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the two overtimes.

“The Romeoville defense was playing me to the left side which opened up the right side of the basket,” Joachim said. “I just took it to the basket. It was great. I didn’t see this big game coming for me. Big win for us!.”

Romeoville was led by senior guard Kahlil Blakney, who led the Spartans with 20 points. Blakney also hauled down seven rebounds, had three steals, three blocked shots and handed out two assists.

Romeoville clung to a 30-29 lead after three quarters, when Joachim and Blakney took over the game.

Joachim scored eight of the 13 Steelmen, fourth quarter points, burying a pair of three’s. Blakeny scored seven of the 12 Spartan points in the fourth quarter, including a long-range 3.

Romeoville sophomore Destin Whitaker, sent the game to overtime, when he buried a three point shot with 11.8 seconds left in regulation, to tie the game at 42.

In the first overtime, Joachim and Cam Blackmon (10 points, three rebounds, three steals) scored nine of the ten Steelmen points in the overtime.

“This was a huge win for us. Big crowd and it was loud in here,” Blackmon said. “I took whatever the defense gave me tonight and we got a breakout game from Don (Joachim).
We want to beat LW-East tomorrow and hopefully get the No. 1 seed in the Sectional”

Blakney and Heckard (10 points, 10 rebounds, four  blocked shots, three steals)  scored all 10 of the Spartans’ first overtime points.

With 29 seconds left in the first overtime, Blakney buried his second three of the contest, to tie the game at 52 and send it to a second overtime.

“We battled and battled all night,” Blakney said. “We just fell a little short. The 20 points I scored tonight, I owe to all of my teammates. We all played so hard.”

Steelmen sophomore Deadotto McGaughy scored four points off the bench, including a huge free throw in the first overtime. Sophomore Dakota Joachim scored three points and played some valuable minutes off the bench for Central

“Don (Joachim) really attacked the basket in the fourth quarter and overtime,” Joliet Central head coach Lawrence Thompson Jr. said. “This was a  huge win for us. Our three losses were to teams that everyone in the media thought highly of. The word was out that we couldn’t beat the big boys. Well we did tonight. Romeoville is very good. They are long. They are well coached and they have guys that can put the ball in the basket.”

Romeoville’s 6-foot-7 Dontia Johnson scored seven points, hauled down eight rebounds and had two blocked shots while Eddie Creal scored seven points, had seven rebounds and three steals, all in the second half and overtime.

“I am proud of the effort the kids gave tonight,” Romeoville head coach Marc Howard said. “Both teams made big plays down the stretch and we wish we could have hit a couple free throws. We beat them in overtime in November. One never knows how things shake out but maybe we’ll see them again in March.”

By Mark Gregory
Sports Editor
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com

In July of last year, Downers Grove native Tony Granato got a call from Jim Johannson, a friend and USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations and general manager of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, to tell him he was selected as the head coach of the team that will open play Feb. 14 against Slovenia in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The pair looked forward to challenging for a gold medal – together.

Unfortunately, Johannson died unexpectedly in his sleep on Jan. 21. He was 53.

“This obviously put a big black cloud over getting ready because this was Jimmy’s project, this was Jimmy’s team. This is something he built and not only was he our leader, but he is our friend that we wanted so much to share this experience with,” said Granato, who was a teammate of Johannson’s on the 1988 Olympic team. “I hate using let’s win one for someone else. We are so inspired for so many different reasons and he will be there with us in spirit and thought and in every decision we make we will think of Jimmy and what he would do and how he would want us to do it. That itself is inspiring enough.

“It is our goal – and it always has been – to come home with gold medal. Does this make it easier or harder or different? I don’t know that. All I know is we will go there inspired to make Jimmy proud and be the best that we can be. He created this for us to win. He put us in a position with all the work he did to be ready for this and we have to focus on doing just that. I would love to represent him in a way he expected us to and make him proud.”

The team Johannson built and Granato will coach is the first team in 20 years that will not feature players currently in the National Hockey League.

“This is an opportunity for players, who are great players, to be on the Olympic stage that they didn’t think they would ever have. That opportunity is really exciting,” Granato said. “There is more pure Olympic feel for this. I am not at all criticizing the way it has been done the last five Olympics. There was nothing better than to have Patrick Kane and Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Quick and Sidney Crosby playing with and against each other. That was center stage for our game and it showed our best athletes, but I also think there is a purity to the Olympics that when you get there, you are at the peak of your career. That is your first opportunity for a world stage and that is different. In 1980 and ’84 and ’88 and ’92 – all the players that played in that, no one knew and they were building to get that opportunity. This is somewhat that same feeling. As Jimmy said, there are 25 stories that are ready to be heard. When the stars go, it is a phenomenal event, but I think this has the potential to be more exciting. A lot of the uncertainties, a lot of unknowns and a lot of chances for athletes to take advantage of the Olympic moment and make a career of it.”

Granato made a career out of his Olympic opportunity, as he skated for three different teams over a 13-year NHL career.

He began his run with the New York Rangers (1988-90), then spent six years with the Los Angeles Kings (1990-96) before finishing his career with the San Jose Sharks (1996-01) where he was an All-Star during the 1996-97 season.

Granato know the Olympics were a big part of his story as a player and he looks forward to the stories of this year’s team coming out.

“When I turn on the Olympics and I watch skiing or bobsled or gymnastics, I don’t know who they are until I watch them and then I watch the stories and then you get hooked on falling in love with a new hero. That is more of what the Olympic spirit was and maybe still was throughout the NHL days, but I think this is an exciting time for the fans, but also for the players and the participants. I really do think the fans will appreciate and enjoy it as much as they did with the NHL players.”

The purity of the Olympics was one of the things that made Granato set his sights on playing at the highest levels of the sport, in particular, the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team.

“We were in Downers in the basement and we would be Stan Mikita and Bonny Hull and Tony Esposito and Pit Martin and all those guys. But when the U.S. team won, half of the time we would be Mike Eruzione, Mark Johnson and Jim Craig and half the time we would be Stan and Bobby and Tony,” Granato said. “There was all of a sudden a new group of heroes, new inspiring thing for a young hockey player to see. I was 15 when it happened. I didn’t know anything about the Olympics or even anything about college hockey and then I see 20 college kids wearing U.S.A. sweaters and that was a big moment for me as far as giving myself heroes and inspirational challenges to try and make it to the best level of hockey. Then I had a chance eight years later to be on an Olympic team. Those are the guys that set the tone for USA hockey. They jump-started the development, jump-started opportunities for Americans to be respected professionally and internationally. Those guys were a great team to learn from for our team – I didn’t know Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, Neal Broten, Jack O’Callahan, but within two or three days after the start of the Olympics, I knew their name, their number, where they came from; I think that is how it was when I was a kid and how the Olympics were.”

After retiring as a player, Granato stayed around the NHL.

He was an assistant coach and head coach for the Colorado Avalanche (2002-2009), Pittsburgh Penguins (2009-14) and Detroit Red Wings (2014-16).

With the Penguins, Granato helped lead the team to four consecutive playoff appearances from 2009-2014. Granato’s duties with the team included oversight of all forwards, a group he directed to an NHL-best 3.38 goal-per-game average during the 2012-13 season.

In 215 games as head coach of the Avalanche, Granato recorded 104 wins, two playoff appearances and a Northwest Division title (2002-03). He is now the current head coach the University of Wisconsin-Madison, of his alma mater.

He served as an assistant coach on the 2014 Olympic team, that fell to Finland in the bronze medal game, before being chosen as the 2018 head coach

“I know I can’t play anymore, so the next best thing is to coach. Jimmy in the last month was able to call all 25 players, 23 of them on January 1, to tell them that they were part of the Olympic team and he said that was one of the greatest thing he ever did in his life was to tell kids, ‘Hey, you are on the Olympic team.’ The feeling he got and the emotions attached with that with the athletes hearing that are one of the best feelings ever on both ends of that call,” Granato said. “Well, Jimmy made that call to me last.  July telling I was selected to be the coach of the team and I felt the same way those athletes did. It is an honor. There is no greater feeling and sense of pride than to be able to represent your country and be part of an Olympic team, so it ranks up there with anything. I would love to say that I could still play, because nothing can replace playing in the Olympics, but to have the opportunity to go back and be part of another staff and be able to be part of the process of putting the team together to try and do something special is as good as it gets.”

Granato is not the only member of the Team USA staff to have ties to the Chicagoland area.

One of his assistants, is four-time Olympian and NHL Hall-of-Famer Chris Chelios, who was grew up in Chicago and played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1990-99.

“He has turned a ton of his attention now to coaching and development and to have him on the staff makes it a heck of a lot more comfortable going into the Olympics. We have a great staff with Scott Young, who played in four Olympics and has worn the USA sweater for many years, Keith Allain, who has been part of a ton of American staffs to go along with Ron Rolston, so our staff has tons of experience internationally,” Granato said. “Chris is as big of a competitor as anyone that ever wore a jersey. His experience team being a player on four Olympic teams and being a captain of all of them, he is USA Hockey. There is no better person to have on the bench next to you than Chris Chelios.”

Plainfield sophomore debut as playwright; JCA student earns fan-favorite honors

By Megann Horstead | For The Bugle

Provide a venue where people can sit in on a festival giving the spotlight to the production of original works directed by local playwrights, revel in stories written by teens born after the start of the millennium, and have them vote on their favorite, that’s the formula Joliet’s Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre used in its inaugural Emerging Playwrights Festival.

On Jan. 20, three students from schools throughout Joliet and surrounding communities showcased their work to the public. There, each playwright had a cast primarily made up by community youth.

Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre hosted the event to showcase local talent and get community youth involved in the arts.

“We’re considering making it an annual event,” said Kimberly Garrett, who serves as a mentor and teaches improv for Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theare.

Students had two practices to prepare their plays for performance on the stage.

Garrett said they hope to have more and more people participate in the Emerging Playwrights Festival moving forward.

This year, ideas brought to the stage by the playwrights ran the gamut from comedy to drama. All four productions shared one thread in common: conflict.

When asked what inspired their works, the three playwrights shared that personal experience permeates throughout their pieces.

In Joliet Catholic Academy sophomore Zane Carmine’s “Correspondence,” murder mystery ensues. He said it was challenging to cap it off at 10 minutes, but it works fine. “Correspondence” was awarded fan-favorite honors by festival attendees

His other play, “Posthumously,” at its core is about bringing a postman back from the dead to explain how he dies. He said there’s a lot more to it, and it gets a little strange.

Carmine said his sense of humor permeates throughout the latter piece in particular.

“I wrote all of it myself, and I play the main character myself,” he said.

In Plainfield Central High School sophomore Sarah Bailey’s “Best (Pen, Pals,” she tells the story of a girl who has her best friend/pen pal and the most popular guy at school fighting over her affection.

“The idea of the pen pal, for me, it started out as an idea for a book I was going to write,” she said. “I turned into a script, and it just happened.”

Bailey had never previously written or directed a play to that point. She has been involved in theater programs at school and Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park the last four to five years.

Bailey said she is pleased to see the way her play has come to life on stage.

“My play is kind of my baby at this point, and I am one of the actors in it, so it’s a very cool experience,” she said. “I’m liking how it’s come along.”

Bailey said she put a lot of herself into how she is choosing to tell her story.

“I’m always the type of person cracking puns and jokes everywhere, so I felt I couldn’t write a serious script,” she said. “I think everything I’ve written has a funny element to it, but there are some themes that could happen in every high-schoolers, but I think I deal with it in a funny way.”

In Minooka Junior High School eighth-grade student Briana Hamilton’s “Miss Jolly-et 2018,” she tells the story of a local beauty pageant.

“I focused more on the comedy side than the serious side, … and I just like comedy,” she said. “It just comes to me.”

Hamilton said she has always been interested in putting on shows, but directing a piece for a festival served a first for her.

“I just know that I would put this [experience] as something I’ve done [on a resume] because I just really want to do this later in life, too,” she said.

Votes were counted to determine the audience’s fan-favorite piece. At the conclusion of the Emerging Playwrights Festival, Carmine received top honors.

Christ-Centered Combat aims to benefit children, families

Megann Horstead | For The Bugle

In its simplest form, martial arts is a program rooted in self-defense at its core.
For Sam Murphy, pastor of Family Bible Church in Joliet, it also has a powerful connection to God.
“I have a background in martial arts and contact sports, and it’s something I’ve always enjoyed,” he said. “The thing about martial arts is typically while you have character development and those kind of components in it, there is a faith component that you don’t see there. So, what I wanted to do was create a program that would be beneficial for self-defense, for health fitness, but also help a person build the spiritual component in their lives, as well. So, that’s very important to me, as well.”
To satisfy this aim, Murphy serves as the lead instructor of Christ-Centered Combat, a non-profit organization founded two years ago.
“I believe [the marital arts program] creates a holistic growth,” Murphy said. “You’re getting all of the parts of the person.”
At the Judson Memorial Campus, Murphy teaches TaeKwonDo and a system called Combat Hapkido, both of which he holds second-degree black belts in. He is a certified instructor by the International Combat Hapkido Federation.
Murphy said he received his training through TM Martial Arts in Joliet, and he has been practicing both of these systems for years.
“I started in 2005 full time doing this training,” he said. “I’ve just been doing that ever since.”
Participants meet up for classes at the Judson Memorial Campus, located at 2800 Black Rd., in Joliet.
“We retained pretty much everyone,” Murphy said, referring to the recent change in location.
Murphy said the people who attend the classes have shown a great commitment to the program, and they’re happy to be involved, as long as they can keep training.
Murphy donates his time to help make the program possible for members of the community.
There are other moving parts that make the classes function the way they do, as well.
“I have students, and [I’m] bringing them along,” Murphy said. “They are assistant directors, and they help. They’re the older ones that I’ve known for a long time. There’s some that I’ve for 10, 15 years. [They’ll] help me work with kids in the kids program.”
Murphy said the volunteers are very “helpful.”
“It’s good leadership training,” he said.
Murphy said martial arts was a powerful way of bringing him and his family together.
“My wife is in our Tai Chi program,” Murphy said. “Because we do Tai Chi, as well. Tai Chi is great for all ages and backgrounds because it is largely non-contact and it’s a much slower pace. … I have a couple brother-in-laws that are in the C3 program and my niece also who is one of the helpers/assistant directors.”
Murphy wanted it to be clear what separates his classes from similar type programs.
“One of the things that is unique about this program and is very beneficial that because it is faith-based, because it is a non-profit, because [it] is essentially in some ways ministry, it affords people the opportunity to also get some discipleship,” Murphy said. “Discipleship is about lifestyle, it’s about living in a way that honors and glorifies God, introduces Jesus Christ to other people. So, this program helps people get some structure in their lives, helps them get some discipline, and those are all key components to growing as a believer of Jesus Christ.”
The program enables participants to get into a routine, with classes held a couple days out of the week every week. Kids ages 7 and older meet up at 10 a.m., and teens/adults begin at 11 a.m. An all-ages class takes place Saturdays at 6 p.m.
To participate in the program, the cost is $20 a month, and the first two classes are free.
For more information, visit christcenteredcombat.com or call 815-342-3538.

The Joliet Grade Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence will host its fifth annual “Hoops for D86” fundraiser, presented by ExxonMobil, on Saturday, February 3 from 1–4:30 p.m. The basketball tournament is in the field house at Joliet West High School, 401 N. Larkin Avenue, and feature players from Joliet Public Schools District 86 schools. In addition, District 86 administrators will play members of a community team during a game scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

The event is open to the public. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Concessions and raffle tickets will be available to purchase. Entertainment will be provided by cheerleaders from M.J. Cunningham Elementary, Dirksen Junior High, Forest Park Individual Education (I.E.), Hufford Junior High, A.O. Marshall Elementary, Pershing Elementary, Sator Sanchez Elementary, Isaac Singleton Elementary, and Woodland Elementary Schools. Student drawings will also take place during the event.

Proceeds from the event will be awarded in classroom grants to benefit Joliet Public Schools District 86 students. Since 2004, the Joliet Grade Schools Foundation has awarded 311 grants totaling over $355,000. For more information, please call Sandy Zalewski at (815) 740-3196 ext. 8204.

Non-profit works to preserve state’s rock & roll heritage, contributions

The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 is a nonprofit organization that exists to preserve the history of musicians and bands with Illinois ties while educating visitors about the state’s rich music history.

Illinois’ rich musical heritage has influenced rock and roll artists across the globe. Musicians from Rockford to Chicago, Champaign to downstate Illinois played an integral part of the music scene for decades creating music that transcends many genres. To pay tribute to their contribution and influence, the organization is bringing the museum to Joliet, which will tell these musicians’ and bands’ stories through displays of their memorabilia and artifacts.

Visitors to the proposed museum will take a musical journey from the early jazz and blues influences to the birth and rise of rock and roll, and the emergence of Illinois artists whose influences have had significant impact. Artists like Nat King Cole, Sam Cook, Chicago, Cheap Trick, Styx, The Buckinghams, REO Speedwagon, The Cryan’ Shames, Disturbed, the Plain White T’s are among a long list of many others. This unique one-of-a-kind exhibit will honor and preserve their contributions, while providing visitors with a dynamic and interactive educational experience.

“Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66” has strong potential to provide the host city of Joliet, and the region as a whole, the opportunity to benefit from strong revenue generation, providing positive economic impact resulting from increased tourism dollars spent in the region, as well as through funding from corporate sponsorships, donor contributions, and advertising opportunities and new tourism partnerships.

At present, there are no competing exhibits to this project in Illinois, making it unique. At the same time, the national Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland only displays a small sampling of artifacts of Illinois artists due to space restrictions. This would allow the opportunity for a more robust Illinois musician’s exhibition in our region. In addition to the permanent exhibit, the opportunity also exists for the creation of seasonal special exhibits that highlight specific artists, events or milestones in Illinois music. With the long list of artists and bands it would be possible to update the museum exhibits on occasion.

The Museum is currently engaged in a membership campaign and the proceeds will go to help the museum come to fruition. Funding for the museum is coming from private and corporate donors as well as various grants. A nominal fee will be charged for admittance and the museum will also have a gift shop that will offer merchandise from the museum other items.

For more information on the museum or to become a “Charter Member” please visit www.RoadtoRock.org, call 815-927-1540 or mail to: Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, P.O. Box 1251, Joliet, IL 60423.

Register to vote by Feb. 20

The Gubernatorial General Primary Election might be two months away, but Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots wants Will County residents to know how to register to vote. “If Will County residents register early and utilize one of their early voting options, it will help eliminate long lines on Election Day,” says County Clerk Voots.

Registering to vote is as easy as visiting thewillcountyclerk.com and clicking on the Register to Vote Quick Link. The Register to Vote page lists the requirements and has a link to register online or a link to complete and print out a form to be mailed in. The last day to register to vote in person or by mail is February 20 and March 4 is the last day to register online.

If one is currently registered to vote in Will County but has moved, their Voter Card has a change of address section that can be cut out and mailed back to the County Clerk or they can use the Voter Registration Change of Address link on the County Clerk website. A former or new resident of Will County or someone who had a name change must re-register with the election authority of the county in which they reside.

For more information visit thewillcountyclerk.com or the Will County Clerk’s Facebook page.

Will County seeks election judges

Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots is seeking Republican Election Judges to work upcoming Elections. The number of Republican and Democratic Election Judges at each polling place is determined by the average party turnout in the three most recent Illinois governor’s races. It’s imperative to have a balance of Republicans and Democrats at the polling place to assure the integrity of the election.

Before being assigned to an election, Election Judges are required to attend a 2.5-hour training class. Upon completion of training, Election Judges are paid $150 for the day they are assigned to work a polling place including mileage reimbursement. Election Judges can earn extra compensation if they are assigned to pick up and drop off election supplies. All interested individuals should apply to be an Election Judge at www.thewillcountyclerk.com and staff will call to schedule your training class.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, live in Will County and be entitled to vote at the next election or be high school seniors in good standing. They can also be students enrolled in a public or private school, community college or private secondary school.

Early voting starts Feb. 8

Early voting provides an opportunity for voters to skip the line at their polling place on Election Day. Any registered Will County voter can cast a ballot at the Will County Clerk’s Office located at 302 N. Chicago St, Joliet, starting February 8 thru March 19. Dates and times vary, so visit www.thewillcountyclerk.com for more information. Note, our office is open on February 12 and 19 for Early Voting only.

VOYAGER MEDIA PUBLICATIONS AREA HOOPS

JOLIET CENTRAL    18-4       9-0  NEW VOYAGER TERRIFIC TEN #1

BENET                     18-4       5-1  REDWINGS RIGHT BEHIND STEELMEN AT #2

NORTHRIDGE         17-5       9-0  HOW GOOD ARE THE ISL LEADERS?

ROMEOVILLE         17-5       8-1  ROMP WEST TIGERS AT THE VILLE

BOLINGBROOK      16-5       4-2  WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE RAIDERS?

MAINE SOUTH       18-6       4-3

WESTMONT           16-7       6-2  SENTINELS SECOND BEHIND HERSCHER IN I-8 RACE

DG NORTH              13-8       4-5

LISLE                        15-9       5-2

PLAINFIELD EAST   15-9       6-4

MINOOKA               13-12     5-5

DG SOUTH              11-12     3-6   MUSTANGS SQUEAK PAST A.T.

PLAINFIELD N         10-11     4-6

NOTRE DAME         10-14     2-4

LOCKPORT                7-12      1-5    PORTERS SHOCK THE BROOK ON FRIDAY

JOLIET WEST            8-13      4-6

PLAINFIELD C           8-13      2-8

NILES WEST             7-12      1-7

MAINE EAST            9-15      1-7

JOLIET CATHOLIC    6-17      1-5

PLAINFIELD SOUTH 3-21     2-8

VOYAGER MEDIA PUBLICATIONS TERRIFIC TEN

1 JOLIET CENTRAL  (2)       18-4     STEELMEN MOVE INTO VOYAGER PENTHOUSE
2 BENET                   (3)       18-4      NINE IN A ROW FOR RAMPAGING REDWINGS
3 MAINE SOUTH     (4)       18-6      HAMVI NAILS SCHOOL-RECORD 8, 3’S VS PALATINE
4 BOLINGBROOK    (1)       16-5      RAIDERS IN TURMOIL. FALL TO PORTERS, LANPHIER
5 ROMEOVILLE       (5)       17-5      KEEP PACE WITH STEELMEN IN SPC
6 PLAINFIELD EAST (7)       15-9     BENGALS FINALLY HOLD 4^TH QT LEAD VERSUS MINOOKA
7 DG NORTH            (6)       13-8     INCONSITANT TROJANS ROUTED AT YORK
8 MINOOKA             (8)       13-12   INDIANS FALL TO EAST BENGALS
9 LISLE                      (10)     15-9      11 IN A ROW FOR LIONS; SENIOR NIGHT VS SENECA NEXT

10 NORTHRIDGE     (9)       18-5     CLOSE CALLS IN INDEPENDENT LEAGUE FOR KNIGHTS
ON THE BUBBLE  PLAINFIELD NORTH 10-11, LOCKPORT 7-12, WESTMONT 16-7, DG SOUTH 11-12

Compiled for Voyager Media by Drake Skleba

9^th Grade High Honors

Ethan Adamowski, Hailey Aguirre, Keli Akabutu, Alexa Albert, Maritza Alcantar, Jose Almazan, Diego Anaya, Alana Anderson, Alyssa Anderson, Morgan Anderson, Julissa Angel, Zachary Appiah, Darian Aranda, Emma Athern, Katherine Badillo, Taryn Baker, Reyna Barajas, Fabian Barba, Tyler Barnes, Tabitha Barowsky, Layne Barry, Alaina Bartolo, Taylor Batcheller, Anna Baxter, Jessica Beatriz, Shamar Beauchamp-Weems, Tan’a Bedenfield, Shannon Bedore, Brandon Bell, Connor Bernas, Jordyn Bew, Kaeli Binns, Hannah Black, Adam Boex, Blake Brenczewski, Idaris Bright, Aidan Brown, Kyla Browning, Ashton Brussano, Michael Burke, Alexxis Burns, Julianna Byrne, Jackeline Calderon, Eduardo Camacho, Monica Campos, Julia Cazares, Hannah Cemeno, Brooklinn Chavez, Pamela Chavez-Cazares, Alayna Chizmark, Iris Cobb, McKyla Contreras, Allan Victor Cortes, Daisy Cortez, Lucas Coyl, Julianna Crompton, Jenessa Cruz, Helena Dactelides, Matthew Dahl, Aniya Davis, Joseph deBoer, Pricila Del Toro, Sophia Delgadillo, Arielle DeShazier, Sebastian Diaz, Tanny Do, Brianne Doran, Stacy Drew, Nyah Eady, Joie Egizio, Jose Escobedo, Ava Espinoza, Abraham Estrada, Joseph Featherstone, Luke Fellows, Madison Fiedler, Savannah Fierke, Jasmin Flores, Huntley Forbus, Cecilia Fordonski, Erika French, Robert Fry, Asusena Gamboa, Michael Gamino, Elizabeth Garcia, Juliana Garcia, Mikayla Garcia, Awad Ghattas, Uriel Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, Xander Gottner, Trevor Gould, Todd Griswold, Ava Grutzius, Josh Matthew Gualberto, Isabella Guidry, Nathan Guseman, Velen Gutierrez-Sandoval, Daniela Guzman, Alexander Haack, Samantha Haraf, Michael Henderson, Junue Hernandez Garcia, Alexander Hernandez, Eric Hernandez, Gustavo Hernandez, Matthew Hernandez, Yessenia Hernandez, Brianna Hoffman, Christopher Hogan, Alysia Holmes, Madison Horvat, Alexandra Hughes, Joseph Humphrey, Molly Huntington, Mya Jackson, Joana Jacob, Rebecca Janovsky, Lauryn Jarosz, Carli Johnston, Kiersten Jordan, Camden Karczewski, Jenna Kimak, Kyla Krajnovich, Claire Kranz, Austin Kucera, Alyssa Kurowski, Jake Kurowski, Kaylee LaPorta, Paulidino Lenci, Marisa Leone, Matthew Lindley, Gabriel Lopez-Duarte, Gabriel Lozada, Paola Lozada, Christopher Lozano-Jimenez, Mitchell Lucas, Gabriella Manriquez, Melvin Manzo, Saundria Martin, Brenda Martinez, Nikolas Martinez, Amelia Mastin, Mary Matuszewski, Benjamin McCune, Gavin McGowan, Cailee McGraw, Antonio Medina, Analise Mendez, Louis Mendoza, William Meyer, Griffin Mims, Julie Mireles, Natalie Moldovan, Nicandro Monroy, Philip Monterola, Gavin Moore, Grace Moore, Erick Morales, Kennedy Morris, Gracie Moyers, Katelynn Munoz, Mariela Munoz, Katherine Munson, Nolan Nemanich, Alexis Nixon, Audrey Noe, Haley Nurczyk, Karli O’Connell, Abigail Olson, Patrick Olson, Laura Orozco, Iris Ovalle Gonzalez, Jordan Owens, Joseph Owens, Adalia Pabon, Irvin Palomino, Elizabeth Papandria, Adrian Passinger, Stephanie Peart, Nathan Peck, Adele Pelzer, Marissa Perez, Hannah Policandriotes, Jacob Pollack, Lucas Pollack, Serena Quiroga, Ashley Rajkovac, Cecilia Ramirez, David Randolph, Sofia Rankin, Kelly Rappaport, Bridget Rascon, Gabriela Reyes, Isaac Rios, Marielena Rivera, Kayla Roan, Marcus Robinson, Jessica Robles, Guadalupe Rodriguez, Kimberly Roman, Tyler Rothbart, Erin Rowlett, Miguel Salas, Alex Salazar-Salgado, Brian Sanchez, Tatiana Sanchez, Alexis Servin, Matthew Siegel, Nicholette Sikes, Julie Silva-Popoca, Alec Siranossian, Lawson Sizemore, Marla Slaboszewski, Kiana Smith, Ryan Smith, Terrance Snapp, Kailey Staniszewski, Michael Starasinich, Matthew Stariha, William Stevens, Riley Stoops, Mya Stukel, Nasya Summers, Joshua Sweedler, Avelin Thepsomphone, Jayla Thomas, Justin Tinoco, Haley Tobiasz, Kimberly Tobiasz, A’jaylah Toran, Jacqueline Torres, Jasmin Torres, Ruben Torres, Savannah Trax, Alvaro Troncoso, Abraham Ulloa, Joshua Vaandering, Ava Vaccarella, Marilyn Vallejo, Kenny Van, Lauren VanMeter, Emily Vayda, Jeffrey Vazquez-Norato, Oscar Vega, Perla Vela Santiago, Richard Velasquez, Christopher Velez, Tehya Venegas, Ryan Vetter, Dalia Villalobos, Alexis Wajda, Julie Wang, Jaden West, Jalen Williams, Katherine Williams, Jamie Wilson, Meghan Wokurka, Robin Wynne, Jose Zaragoza

9^th Grade Honors

Jason Acosta, Amanda Altman, Adam Alvarez, Alfonso Alvarez, Enrique Arias, Florvanessa Arreola-Perez, Ty Batusich, Malcolm Bayless, Parker Beene, Brooklynn Bester, Nick Bishop, Brooke Blenck, Aria Bolden, Damian Borges, Ashley Botello, Carson Bragg, Anthony Buccellato, Matthew Burns, Benjamin Cappel, Nataly Carmona, Rachel Carreno, Juan Carrillo, Samuel Castro, Cindy Cisneros-Ortiz, Jordan Clark, Carli Collins, Daniel Contreras Huerta, Fabio Contreras, Ruben Contreras, Devin Corrigan, Liliana Corsetti, Bailey Creed, Clara Crockett, Jessica Cruz, Donisha Dade, Quinton Dade, Alijah Dandridge, Wendy DeLara, Anthony DePaolo, Hannah Depatie, Gabriel Diaz, Jalen Doby, Brandon Dominguez, Yishun Du, Serena Duarte, Donovan Durham, Cheyenne Eads, Jacob Eilers, Itzel Enciso, Ryan Esparza, Ryan Farrell, Marcos Faundez, Sterling Fitch, Marnique Fox, Trevor Frantz, Pauly Fris, Osiris Gallarzo, John Garbelman, Reggean Garcia, Jafet Garibay, Lamontae George, Nadia Gonzalez, Meghan Grabs, Allison Guffey, Alan Guzman Macedo, Sylare’ Harrell, Kayla Hawkins, Ariana Hernandez, Jacklyn Hernandez, Logan Hodge, Kyle Hoover, Jaekel Hudson-Terry, Devon Johnson, J’ailen Johnson, April Kara, Dominic Kellogg, Byron Kelly, Maxwell Klein, Mya Knapp, Zonte’ Knight, Jessica Kyd, Giovanni LoDolce, Kaleena Lopez, Jordyn Love, Theodore Mackey, Yuliana Madrigal, Jordan Malleris, Jennalise Mallo, Morgan Mars, Lizbeth Martinez Fabian, Daniel Martinez, Emilio Martinez, Juliann Martinez, Pablo Martinez, Tatyana Martinez, Daniel McCarthy, Vallari McClendon, Zoe McCollum, Dontea’ McCullum, Osman Medina, Savanna Medina, Terrance Moncrief, Preston Moore, Aidan Moreno, Amber Morgan, Johnathan Moriarty, Destiny Morrow, Johnathan Munoz, Johnathan Munoz, Claudio Nava, Aldo Navarrete, Natalie Nelson, Benjamin Ocampo Gonzalez, Nayely Onofre, Liliana Ordonez, Brian Orozco, Christopher Palacios, Emily Pantoja, Kevin Patrick, Jaylynn Perez Zavala, Ryan Pierce, Anthony Presti, John Pruss-Knotts, Anthony Quintana, Casandra Rangel, Olivia Ratajczak, Casandra Reyes, Alexis Rivas, Alexa Robles, Emanuel Rodriguez, Adrian Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Adriana Roman, Lizbeth Rosales, Gisselle Rubio, Jaqueline Salas, Alexis Salgado, Gabriela Sandoval-Martinez, Rodrigo Saravia, Anthony Saucedo, Jerrod Sergeant, Lindsey Serrano, Tha Mee Shaw, Paige Simpson, Damandeep Singh, Morganne Snapp, Maximos Sterioti, Samuel Sullivan, Joseph Susner, Zachary Swiecki, Veronica Szymaniak, Annamarie Talarico, Aiden Terrell, Steven Thomas, Vincent Thomas, Sebastian Vazquez, Marcos Velasco, Fatima Villagomez, Zakkary Warsaw, Johnetta Washington, Mark Watson, Zoe Wellman, Brianna White, Briaunna Williams, Jadon Williams, Joshua Wokurka, Emily Wooten, Julia Worek, Arrianna Young, Luke Zaffer, Arlette Zamora, Anthony Zavala, Pedro Zerrmeno

10^th Grade High Honors

Amera Al Jabali, Damon Almazan, Daniela Alvarez, Jacob Amador, Aaliyah Anaya, Ryan Anderson, Trayton Anderson, Fernando Angeles, Gaius Anighoro, Jacquelyn Arbogast, Alvaro Ascencio, Julianna Avila, Brittany Baker, Christian Barefield, Haley Barr, Nicholas Bartelt, Antonio Bedolla, Carolina Bedolla, Krystal Beebe, Aeriell Beene, Madison Beene, Baylee Berdelle, Ian Berk, Maite Bernal, Roger Bezares, Zachary Bickerton, Kelsey Bishop, Kylie Bodzioch, Isaac Boeringa, Jasmine Bond, Brooke Borgra, Natalia Boria, Alejandro Bottia-Forero, Nicole Bowman, Marissa Bozarth, Jack Brenczewski, Geremy Brooks, Hunter Brooks, Lae Tia Brown, Layne Brubaker-Egner, Amisa Cabeza, Cory Cabrera, Carlos Calderon, Ivan Cambray, Emma Cameron, Kyle Carbaugh, Elvia Cardenas, Nikelle Carlson, Aileen Carranza, Emma Cartelli, Paola Castro Zuniga, Angelica Cervantes, Nadia Chavez, Daniel Cherrington, Andrew Chignoli, Casey Chignoli, Eledy Cisneros, Cecilia Ciuffini, Daisy Collazo, Alyssa Conde, Meghan Connelly, Daniela Contreras Zepeda, Natalie Contreras, Paul Corsetti, Jose Cortes-Carreno, Emilia Cortez, Chelsea Cotton, Benjamin Covault, Elena Crino, Kaelyn Cronin, Alyssa Croom, Savanna Crowley, Oscar Cruz, Luke Cunningham, Alexis Dela Torre, Brian Delgado, Joana Diaz, Justin Diaz, Miseal Diaz, Nina Dinardo, Sara Dinardo, Mary Dixon, Ian Duda, Bryan Duong, Taylor Durak, Brian Duran, Henry Eichstaedt, Hannah Eldred, Corina Elizalde, Madyson Emory, Mick Enev, Kathryn Epling, Alexander Escamilla, Jazzpher Evans, Bailey Fair, Samantha Fair, Briana Farrett, Mariusz Ferenczak, Ashlyn Fisk, Gabriella Flores, Luis Flores, Suzanne Fonck, Ahmad Ford, Sharmani Fuller, Jaime Galvan, Jesus Garcia, Leonel Garcia, Morgan Garcia, Julia Gasaway, Joshua Gautschy, Katherine Gibson, Lanisia Givan, Robert Gleason, Elizabeth Gomez, Kaelyn Groth, Rebecca Haggerty, Corine Hamilton, Tyler Hammar, Caiya Hampton, Corina Hardwick, Julia Haro, Oscar Haro, Grayson Hartney, Hailey Heffron, Dalton Henderson, AnaIsabel Hernandez, Gina Hernandez, Yesenia Hernandez, Aiden Higgins, Ethan Higgins, Ryan Highland, Shana Hoang, Leonard Hohisel, Tucker Holmgren, Marshall Holt, Cameron Hosey, Gabrielle Houde, Teresa Hudgens, Christopher Ibarra, Adesuwa Imafidon, Jasmine Jackson, Daniela Jimenez, Alexis Johnson, Ashlee Johnstone, Stephanie Joiner, Envii Jones, Nathan Jungles, Mackenzie Kaluza, Zoelle Karlovic, BreYana Kelly, Souliya Keoborakot, Deon King, Olivia Kirin, Shawn Klimek, Hailey Kniceley, Midian Knutson, Hannah Konieczny, Jeromy Kountz, Lindsay Krefft, Summit Kumar, Juell Lagonero, Ashley Lang, Michelle Lara, Makenzie Laskowski, Diego Lazaro, Jaharra Lee, Joseph Lizzio, Jade Lockhart, Armando Loera, Angel ‘Aray Love, Angelyse Love, Karol Lozano, Barbara Lunsford, Isaac Mackan, Alejandra Magana, Yuliana Magana, Lucy Erika Ann Magat, Erisa Maliqi, Alexandria Malleris, Zander Manning, Jacquelyn Manriquez Sanchez, Alyssa Martinez, Brandon Martinez, Dulce’ Celeste Martinez, Francisco Martinez, Mia Martinez, Cheridan Matan, Patrick Mathews, Julie Matuszewski, Nevaeh McComb, Zoie McCormick, Shanbreia McDaniel, Brennagh McDonald, Hannah McEneany, Ryan McGovern, Madison McIntyre, Katherine Meagher, Melina Medina, Alannie Melton, Jana Miller, Paige Minor, Hannah Mitchell, Andrew Modzelewski, Corey Moore, Shava Moore, Kevin Morales, Savannah Moser, Jemma Newby, JaRyan Newman, Allen Nguyen, Hannah Nordquist, Ashley O’Malley, Jocelyn Ochoa, Daniel Okogun, Gregorio Olivares, Tania Ortega, Freddy Ortiz, Lauren Ortiz, Nicolas Ortiz, Andres Palacios, Jacqueline Palomino-Valadez, Mario Pantaleo, Evelin Pantoja, Emily Papesh, David Paskvan, Angel Noe Patino, Zachary Pearson, Nadia Pensado, Madeline Perez Whitehead, Gisele Perez, Jorge Perez, Jose Perez, Brandon Perruquet, Jessica Pham, Anna Piskur, Nicole Pizur, Angela Plascencia, Natalie Plunge, Kaitlyn Poke, Anna Polacek, Da Narius Poole, Kiera Posteluk, Kaylyn Preisler, Aaron Price, Isaac Prost, Bailey Pubentz, Jeremy Pullen, Veronica Ramirez, Caitlin Ratajczak, Diamond Reaves, Jaxon Rees, Grace Regal, Juan Reynoso, Valeria Reynoso, Lydia Richardson, Sydney Riggs, Mirian Rios-Barbosa, Jenna Rizzi, James Roberts, Martwaine Robinson, Alexandra Rocha, Ariana Rodriguez, Jasmin Rodriguez, Jasmine Rodriguez, Lillian Rosado, Anna Ruffin, Mariana Ruiz, Lauren Russell, Hailey Ryan, Snehal Saini, Jacobo Salas, Maribel Sandoval, Erika Santos, Alice Sayasavanh, Kailey Schmitt, Louisa Schwab, Jonathan Schwarz, Samuel Servande, Jacqueline Servin, Nicole Sessoms, Kinsyn Shelby, Naudhya Shepherd, Katelyn Shroba, Kyle Siksta, Frank Sklar, Bree Smiles, Brianna Smith, Cali Smith, Olivia Solorzano, Rebecca Somoza, Anne Starasinich, Natalie Stefanski, Zoie Summers, Julia Swanson, Elise Tarrant, Matthew Tibudan, Alexis Tinoco, Brandon Tinoco, Aaron Travis, Joshua Turek, Keelyn Tyrell, Fabian Ulloa, Ian Van Eck, Alexa VanLengen, Anthony Vargas, Jubrisa Vargas, Brissa Vega Rojas, Desteny Venegas, Luke Vercellotti, Alyssa Vilcek, Valerie Villaflor, Emily Villafuerte, Tanner Viramontes, Allison Voirol, Alexander Voss, Mary Taylor Wagner, Erin Walsh, Maddison Wascom, Janai West, Josue Weston, Meaghan Williams, Paige Wojcik-Connolly, Dylan Wolff, Philip Wood, Laura Woodard, Amanda Wyzykowski, Andrea Zayek

10^th Grade Honors

Genaro Acosta, Jorge Adame Ruiz, Mayte’ Aguirre, Antonio Alvarez, Ashley Andrade, Jesus Angulo, Trevor Antonides, Isaac Arellano, Kassandra Ascencio, Kennedy Aubry, Stephanie Baca, Nathan Baker, Alexis Ballard, Nisunte Banks, Michelle Barajas, Sebastian Barba, Atlanta Barmore, Michael Bates, Ovahdyah Ben-Israel, Jacob Blackburn, Gary Blair, Damien Bucio, Nasir Campbell, Valeria Carbajal, Cristian Cardenas, Brandon Carriger, Deserey Carter, Alejandro Casillas Crawford, Sheldon Cherry, Emily Coe, Christopher Cox, Madison Cox, John Craig, Anthony Creaney, Matthew Cronk, David Cuevas, Ruth Davenport, James Davis, Dustin Deardurff, Karla Delgado, Katie Dineen, Kayleigh Doti, Valerie Duarte, Cecylia Dudek, Meghan Dupree, Mykael Ebosh, Elijah Ellis, D’amicia Ervins, Brody Fornoff, Priscila Franco, Jacob Frosch, Grace Frumento, Matthew Fry, Jillian Garza, Morgan Gawlik, Kyle Gersch, Nathan Godar, Jada Grangent, Jared Greskoviak, Adam Grooms, Estrella Gutierrez, Gabriel Gutierrez, Makayla Guzman, Elizabeth Haljean, Rachel Hernandez, Jamere Hill, Aaliyah Hines, Cody Hooker, Luke Horan, Raekel Hudson-Terry, Jazmin Huizar, Jaquelin Hurtado, Vivian Jacobo, Jordyn Johnson, Dylan Johnstone, Larry Killensworth, Sydney Kirin, Kendall Kobe, Daniel Landando, Johnny Lara, Arielle Lindsey, Thomas Luedke, Kasey Lyn, Jenna Maher, Jared Mantia, Luciano Martinez, Amarrie Massey, Keileigh McCarthy, Frankie McDaniel, Heavenlee McElrath, Miriam Medina, Brook Miller, Billy Mills, Jazmyn Moffett, Jennifer Morales, Michael Mosqueda, Alexis Moya, Daniel Munoz, Domenic Navarro, Angel Newcomb, Corissa Nobles, Erik Noon, Myah Novotny, Abraham Ortiz, Jonah Ortiz, Robert Ortiz, Jacari Page, Tlatoani Paramo, Uma Patel, Arielle Patton, Kasandra Pena, Simone Peppers, John Perella, Nicholas Perino, Tya Peten, Anthony Petersen, Margaret Petrilla, Lucas Pirc, Gabriella Principe, Diego Ramirez, Ernesto Ramos, Brandon Reed, Abbey Reina, Symone Riley, April Rivas, Ethan Robinson, Edgar Rodriguez-Maya, Samuel Rosa, Leonardo Rosas, Julian Rosenbach, Cristian Ruiz, Aaron Sanchez, Victor Sanchez, Honesty Santos, Haley Schmidt, Logan Schwarting, Kylie Scott, Cameron Seeman, Nathaniel Seeman, Beyonce Serrato, Alexander Siepka, Isidro Silva-Olivares, Ma-Teejenal Smith, Cecilia Soto Moreno, Ellen Stalf, Yesenia Suarez, Elliah Tameklo, Nathan Tate, Sahaida Tavares Martinez, I’Onna Taylor, Andres Terrazas, Fernando Torres, Marta Torres, Bryan Travis, Scott Tucci, Thomas Tuck, Johntrice Turner, Maya Twombly, Zachary Twombly, Samantha Valenciano, Jacqueline Valle, Holly Van Gorden, Erin Van Winkle, Angel Vargas, Alberto Vazquez, Desmond Walker, Christopher Warner, Taylin Williams, Logan Ybarra, Brayden Zimmerman

11^th Grade High Honors

Kassandra Aguirre, Jacob Aharrah, Anna Alberti, Skylar Alexander, Guizette Almodovar, Luke Altman, Tylor Anderson, Christopher Appiah, Julia Arrieta Guarin, Edgerrin Austin, Russea Barefield, Tyler Barnette, Emma Baxter, Bertha Becerra, Brooke Becker, Scott Bedore, Morgan Beene, Isabella Bernadet, Isabella Betlejeski, Trinity Bias, Austin Bird, Harmony Blandin, Madison Blenck, Payten Bormet, Amber Braun, Daniel Broderick, Brianna Buccellato, Delaney Burns, Danielle Cahue, Tatiana Cahue, Lionel Camargo, Madison Capista, Diana Cardenas Magana, Lilliana Castellanos, Faith Cemeno, Jesus Cervantes, Raquel Cervantes, Peyton Charley, Esmeralda Chavez, Jorge Chavez, Makenna Clark, Brandyn Collins, Blanca Contreras, Robert Cook, Carly Cooper, Abigail Cortez, Jonathan Coyt, Maitlyn Creasey, Autumn Crisafulli, Connor Cronin, Brionna Crusoe, Talia Cruz, Liliana De La Torre, Sergio Del Toro, Ashley Delgado, Viridiana Delgado, Mark Deneut, Tashi Dillon, Tia Dillon, Ciara Dire, Douglas Dobbs, Allison Drew, Brian Du, Alexandra Dulski, Emily Dulski, Alexis Dunn, Danielle Durak, Sho Dzurny, Alaina Eartly, Marlenne Estrada, Olympia Falaris, Camryn Feehan, Luis Flores Garcia, Jesus Flores, Bethany Flynn, Kayla Flynn, Jada Ford, Madison Fraser, Alexander Freeman, Alexis Gallegos Ruiz, Josymar Garcia, Mark Garcia, Kimberly Garibay, Morgan Gersch, Ericesa Gibbs, Liliana Gomez, Vianey Gonzalez, Samantha Gordon, Jamison Gossen, Sequoia Grantham, Jalen Gray, Reynold Gudino Guzman, Angelica Gutierrez, Jaquelin Gutierrez, Daisy Guzman, Hilda Gyeduah, Ryan Hacker, Jabari Harris, Joshua Harvey, Cassi Hemker, Dylan Hensley, Cristian Hernandez, Crystal Hernandez, Josel Hernandez, Bryan Hernandez-Lozano, Zoe Hogan, Taylor Hogg, Kaitlyn Holloway, Sara Huerta, Elizabeth Hughes, Bradley Hyde, Osarhiemen Idiaru, Ania Issac, Elizabeth Jaakkola, Carrington Jackson, Tawana Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Zaria Johnson, Felicity Jones, Cannon Karczewski, Mason Kasprisin, Keegan Keovongsack, Kaitlyn Kerzisnik, Joycelyn Kimak, Jacob King, Caleb Klima, Braden Kobus, Victoria Koenig, Nikolas Kosanovic, Logan Kosteroski, Brihanon Krmpotich, Isabella LaMonte, Adrian Lara, Derek Layne, Andrea Leaf, Michael Lenci, Blake Lewandowski, Autumn Lindemulder, Shyann Mack, Bailey Maitland, Mitzi Maloyan, Gina Mancuso, Zoe Manning, James March, Kevin Marcus, Ariana Martinez, Marissa Martinez, William Mastin, Diego Mateo, Michael Mattix, Ambria May, Madison Mayer, Peter Mbi, Lindsey McCrea, Jada McGaughy, Jorge Mejia, Alexis Melnick, Litzy Mendez, Crystal Mendoza, John Merriman, Madeline Meyer, Kaitlyn Meyers, Jennifer Meza, Andre Miles, Sebastian Mireles, Nya Mitchell, Joel Mojica, Adolfo Montanez, Jazmin Morales, Monique Morales, Conor Mullins, Jillian Muniz, Samuel Munson, Anthony Nardi, Alyna Navarrete, Donye Neal, Lucas Negus, Nathan Nemanich, Kyler Nieto-Brown, Jackelin Nunez, Erica Nurczyk, David Olaya-Mojica, Diana Ortega, Emily Ortiz, Liliana Ovalle, Kyle Paez, Joshua Palacios, Vincent Panateri, Anthony Pantoja, Christian Pantoja, Anthony Papandria, Melanie Paredes, Arpan Patel, Sema Patel, Samantha Patterson, Tessa Paulson, Mary Pelzer, Andrea Pena, Keegan Peretti, Julian Perez, Lauren Peters, Aislim Picon, Daphnee Potter, Sarah Potts, Tyler Pransky, Ja’Mia Purchase, Hugo Quintana, Dorian Ramadani, Ethan Ramirez, Christopher Ramp, Frank Rappaport, Ian Ray, Christian Razo, Kevin Real, Thomas Regganie, Alexis Robbins, Kayla Robinson, Angelina Rodriguez, Jazmin Rodriguez, Rafael Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Alejandro Rojas, Armando Rojas, Tia Roland, Fiona Ryan, Jared Sanchez, Julissa Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, Joseph Sandoval, Alexander Sauer-Hernandez, Kendall Schlegel, Alexis Schofield, Madilyn Schott, Taylor Schwall, Breanna Shaver, Kendra Shouse, Aubree Sibert, Daniel Small, Kaiya Smith, Casey Snow, Victor Sotelo, Sarah Soto, Teresa Spesia, Briana Spruell, Nicholas Starasinich, Krystal Steg, Fernando Suarez, Anthony Suero, Aliah Teclaw, Kayla Teml, Tanajia Thomas, Evelyn Torres, Michael Turone, Emiliano Ulloa, Brianna Uphoff, Sergio Urbano, Brenda Urquizo, Brooke Vabales, Santos Vargas, McKenna Vrbovsky, Gia Wallace, Hayden Warren, Jacob Webber, Allyson Wetstein, Madeline Wharry, Nikola White, Serena White, Taylor White, Alexis Wiechec, Sarah Wise, Megan Wynne, Pavlo Yanytskyy, Kaylee Zamudio, Nataly Zeas, Jake Zettergren

11^th Grade Honors

Ricardo Abdel-Hadi, Joel Aceves, Saiasi Aguirre Rangel, Jocelyn Alcantar, Sushmita Anil, Blake Anthony, Destiny Ashcraft, Jaxon Aubry, Patrick Augustine, Karen Avila Martinez, Da ‘Vual Bailey, Drin Bajrami, Kelsea Baker, Allan Barajas, Abigail Bird, Naija Blankenship, Lavonna Borders, Cody Brady, Daijah Brown, Evan Brown, Olivia Buckley, Trinity Bulow, Grace Calabria, Liliana Canchola, Ezekiel Cappel, Zachary Carpenter, Ashley Castellanos Perez, John Castillo, Leticia Castillo, Robert Cho-Teodoro, Jennifer Cisneros, Beyonc’e Collins, Emily Contreras, Justin Corcoran, Briana Coyl, Sergio Del Toro, Angelique Diaz, Isaiah Diaz, Alison Dodson, Destiny Drimel, Lizette Duarte Zamora, Maximiliano Duarte, Alyssa Duckmanton, Jocelyn Duran, Jasmine Elizondo, Rachel Elliott, Gianna Ellis, Mia Erickson, Marisa Estrada, Lizeth Garcia, Adela Garza, Sentoria Gholston, Manuel Gomez, Sendy Gonzalez, Benjamin Gould, Keaton Gregory, David Gutierrez, Sergio Guzman, Keasiga Hatten, Jakari Hayes, Alyssa Hernandez, Aliece Holmes, Tristian House, Ayanna Jackson, Casey Jackson, Kyla Jackson, Gabriela Jauregui, Angie Jimenez, Geraldine Jimenez, Katia Jimenez, Tyler Johnson, Alexis Jones, Tayvion Jones, Brianna Kato, Emily Koscielski, William Kyd, Jordan Landerman, Brendan LaPorta, Jamie Lindloff, Adriona Lindsey, Isabella Lobner, Thomas Lopez, Valeria Lopez-Melgoza, Elijah Lovett-Tate, Christian Malleris, Guadalupe Martinez Sanchez, Mayra Martinez, Monica Martinez, Jataria Massey, Jose Medina, Abraham Melendez, Rafael Mendoza, Christian Mireles, Jillian Morris, Ryan Mueller, An Nguyen, Taylor Novak, Kylie Novotny, Fara’ O’Bryant, Austin O’Malley, Karina Ortiz, Manuel Ortiz, Abigail Ostiguin, Michelle Pena, Melany Perez, Kelsey Polan, Anthony Quiroga, Armani Rivera, Kenton Roach, Aaliyah Robinson, Jaelyn Robinson, Keightlyn Robinson, Madeline Robinson, Horacio Rodriguez, Lilliana Rodriguez, Mikala Rogers, David Romero, Joshua Romero, Marsela Rosales, Giovanni Rosario, Alyssa Rossow, Erik Rubio, Angela Salas, Axrreida Salas, Cassandra Sales, Isaiah Sanchez, Faith Schroeck, Janet Segura, Julian Seitz, Marie Seno, Sophia Serrato, Nicole Shea, Imani Shell, Joseph Signorile, Max Staniszewski, Alita Stukel, Triston Sweat, Katie Tarnowski, Rodrigo Torres, Clarke Vaandering, Michael Vanerka, Amber Vann, Andre Walker, Nicole Wells, Jared White, Alyssa Witt, Justin Ybarra, Faye Zolp

12^th Grade High Honors

Skylar Adair, Chinyere Agba, Petaine Ahonto, Leonardo Alicea, Anthony Ally-Novak, Yatziry Alvarado Garcia, Natalie Alvarado, Victoria Alvarado, Cheyenne Angus, Olivia Apostolovski, Valentina Aranda, Johan Arcos-Viniegra, Nia Autman, Jaqueline Azpeitia, Samantha Baloy, Alexander Bautista, Hope Benavidez, Alyssa Betlejeski, Andre Biasella, Madeline Blaauw, Tyler Bockholdt, Kristen Boeringa, Zachary Boeringa, Isabelle Bohanek, Hannah Borgra, Timothy Bostanche, Kyla Brooks, Mahlik Brown, Sidney Budzinski, Mandi Bulow-Padilla, Madalen Burke, Beatriz Campos, Megan Carbaugh, Javier Cardenas-Magana, Andrew Carlson, Eileen Carney, Candace Carpenter, Jasmine Carrillo, Priscila Carrillo, Kassandra Cazares, Hannah Cobb, Leah Combs, Anthony Contos, Cameron Conway, Tyrese Cook, Erik Cordoba, Issael Cordoba, Sophia Corsetti, Gabriela Costilla, Kamryn Cotton, Genessis Coyt, Samuel Crane, Makenzie Cronk, Celeste Dade, Eric Davis Smith, Emily De Lay, Mariel Dean, Lea Delattre, Savana Delrose, Lajja Desai, Miguel Diaz, Haley Dillon, Amanda DiNardo, Colton Dolak, Caitlin Doran, Emily Ebong, Anna Eklund, Robert Elkins, Dareya Ellis, Manuel Escareno, Andrew Farrell, Kalvin Fellows, Hipolito Figueroa, Morgan Fisher-Monson, Daniel French, Joshua Fry, Mariana Gamino, Blanca Garcia, Daniel Garcia, Mireya Garcia, Madison Gersch, Sarah Gersch, Kayli Glidic, Connor Goron, Melissa Gray, Gina Guzman, Yasmin Hall, Shane Harazim, Jake Heppner, Guillermo Hernandez, Alyssa Herrera, Adam Herron, Alfreda Hogan, Cailyn Hogg, Alondra Hurtado, Diasiia Jackson, Mykiyah Jackson, Jared Jennings, McKensie Jevitz, Alejandro Jimenez Chavez, Brett Johnson, Madasen Kasprisin, Sara Katich, Joseph Keigher, Megan King, Jenny Koerner, Marissa Korso, Lauren Landando, Keenan Linder, Craig Lockhart, Amanda Long, Cole Long, Daniela Lopez Valdez, Alex Lopez, Daissy Lopez, Bianca Lozada, Mai Lu, Alexander Luedke, Jocelyn Lupercio, Nicholas Machacek, Rebecca Majeski, Peytan Mangan, Sarah Manos, Noah Mardian, Jessica Maroncelli, Jennifer Marquez, Naomi Marquez, Sydnie Martin, Raul Martinez, Zachary Mascenic, Catherine Mastin, John Mbi, Max McCollum, Gerald McGee, Logan McGrew, Miriam Medina, Alondra Mendoza-Lopez, Crystal Meza, Tatianna Millan, Ethan Miller, LaMiya Mitchell-Lomas, Amanda Moldovan, Tattiana Morales, Kayleigh Morris, Georgia Morrison, Christian Muniz, Laura Murguia, Elaina Naling, Lexi Navarro, Terrence Neal, Kendra Neill, Jessica Newby, Anna Nguyen, Natrianna Nobles, Mariha Ochoa, Jenifer Olivo, Nathaniel Olson, Michael Orbell, Justina Orozco, Jessica Orr, Jennifer Ortiz, Kendra Paez, Yeiri Palomares, James Papandria, Samantha Paramo, Alexis Pastyka, Molly Peart, Brandon Peck, Sierra Perez, Anna Petersen, Grace Petersen, Anthony Petrilla, Frida Phares-Sinclair, Natalie Pharo, Jack Pierson, Michael Pitsenberger, Corinn Posteluk, Haylee Powers, Jonathan Pullen, Paige Rabenda, Benjamin Ramirez, Dominic Rankin, Morgan Red, Travis Rednour, Emma Regal, Christian Rios, John Robertson, Alyssa Rodriguez, Benjamin Rogina, Damian Rojas, Vanessa Roofe, Abigail Rosado, Matthew Roth, Sarah Ruffolo, Oscar Ruiz, Rosalinda Ruiz, Heather Russell, Emily Ryan, Samantha Saari, Martin Sanchez, Carina Saucedo-Perez, Amber Scheible, Shayna Schmidt, Alex Schott, Kaitlyn Schwarz, Brianne Sencial, Lorenzo Serrato, Kyle Sessoms, Arianna Short, Reese Sikorski, Anthony Smith, Sebastian Soto, Alexis Stariha, Katelyn Steg, Dylan Suca, Loralei Summers, Joseph Talarico, Mary Talarico, Rayanne Tijan, Grace Turner, Victoria Twombly, Jason Vaccarella, Anna-Mae Valdez, Anthony Van Milligan, Carlos Vargas, Eric Vargas, Carlos Vasquez, Alexis Wagner, Juliana Wallace, Dakota Wascom, Jonathan Waszak, Kyle White, Blake Wiles, Glen Wilson, Allison Yonushatis, Aleena Zabala

12^th Grade Honors

Sabrina Acosta, Neyda Alcantar, Victor Alcantar, Christina Alvarado, Crystal Andrade, Jamilea Baker, Shyasia Baker, Caelan Bauter, Dawson Beene, Iliana Berrios, Jazmyne Blair, Aaron Bolton, Allyson Burns, Jose Calderon, Alaina Cardenas, Makaylynn Carlis, Anthony Carrera, Ryan Casey, Jaritt Catellier, Samantha Cazales, Juan Cerda, Anissia Cervantes, Pranav Chandan, Destiny Chandler, Alejandro Cisneros, Jacob Ciszek, Nicole Clark, Elizabeth Cockream, Yolanda Contreras, Luis Cortes-Lechuga, Alyssa Credit, Antonio Cruz, Carlos Cruz, Daisy Cruz, Anyiah Dandridge, Brittany Davis, Destiny Davis, Emily Delgado, Raekwon Dilworth, Amel Dockery, Amari Douglas, Daniel Drag, Deanna Edwards, Trevor Ferguson, Ryan Gage, Vanessa Galindo, Alejandro Garcia, Alfredo Gomez, Mariana Gone, Kiara Gray, Enrique Guerra, Rosaneli Guzman, Aspen Hadley, Demetria Hadley, Ahmaja Hardwick, Alexandro Herrera, Nathan Hill, Rebecca Hofsteadter, Madison Holcombe, Aijane’ Hooper, Rosalba Huerta, Makayla Hurd, Kiara Johnson, Michael Jordan, Elae’jah Justice, Brendan Kaiser, Patrick Kasheimer, Carrie Kirklin, Emma Lawrence, De Mario Levi, Katherine Lindley, Antonio Lockhart, Shanae Love, Samantha Lozano, Isabel Luna, John Lusinger, Francisco Maldonado, Fernando Martinez, DeLayna McCloud, Charles McKinney, Enrique Mejia, Adeli Mercado, James Miller, Daisy Mireles, Ivan Monroy, Jamar Moulton, Antonio Moy, Dasia Norris, Taylor Novak, Andrew Olivo, Lizbeth Olivo, Giselle Pasillas, Paola Patino, Dazjah Patton, Anthony Perino, Kyla Pickett, Daniel Pineda, Matthew Prieboy, Kailey Procaskey, Douglas Propper, Marina Rico, Solomon Robinson, Alvaro Robles, Ariana Rodriguez, Isaac Romo, Emily Rowlett, Sofia Saavedra, Anthony Sain, Edgar Salas, Zuleina Saldana-Davila, Sydnie Sanderson, David Sandoval, Alejandro Saucedo, Samantha Sayas, Alspa Sayasavanh, Destiney Senor, Armani Shelton, Nathan Smith, Noah Smith, Alexis Sons, Katie Sorensen, Christopher Stankus, Ke Arra Stevens, Angelique Stinson, Adan Suarez, Cameron Sudberry, Haley Swiecki, Antwanette Thomas, Tyler Thorstad, Paola Torres, Brandon Townsend, Alexis Travis, Benjamin Vaughn, Erik Vega, Guadalupe Velazquez, Noah Vertin, Mateo Weyer, Brett Williams, Connor Winscott, John Zaffer

Organizers seeking entries in music, animation, documentary, comedy, drama or phone-based film

By Megann Horstead | For The Bugle

Like the cities of Naperville and Chicago, Joliet is set to become home to a film festival in April.

The J-Town Film Fest makes its debut April 29 at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre.

“Naperville has had one for 10 years, and Chicago has theirs,” said Lori Carmine, park manager for Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre. “We’re the third largest city [in Illinois]. We should have one.”

Carmine said the idea behind hosting the festival began long ago and is closer to being realized.

During the summer months, Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park commonly runs a camp for community youth to get involved in. Around that time last year, they put on a production of “Singing in the Rain“ involving video. That’s when Sheila White, of Joliet Community Television, said Joliet could be a good place to host a film festival.

White was providing assistance to the theatre at the time, Carmine said.

Organizers started discussing the idea of hosting the festival in the fall of 2017.

Carmine said they have such great talent in Joliet, and all they need is a place to showcase their work.

“We’d love to see this grow with showings at the museum, at the colleges, and ending up at the Rialto [Square Theatre,]” Carmine said.

Carmine wants anyone interested in music, animation, documentary, comedy, drama or phone-based film productions to get involved.

“The only requirements are they’re all short-form, phone-based films are 10 minutes or under, and the others must be under 20 minutes,” Carmine said. “We want to start small. We also want to keep it at a PG-13 rating.”

Organizers are anticipating showcasing the best pieces of each category and letting the audience choose a fan favorite.

“I think that ours will get homegrown talent, though we’re open to anybody,” Carmine said. “Joliet is so diverse, you get a variety. You’ll have people from high-school age to adults [participating in the film festival.] The diverse factor is the biggest asset, and we have several categories.”

To help make the film festival possible, organizers have been in talks with the film teachers at Joliet Junior College. The radio station at University of St. Francis reached out to the organizers with interest in providing promotion.

Organizers are in need of additional committee members and volunteers, and they encourage anyone interested to get in touch.

The film festival is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 29 at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre.

To submit a film, email to bipark@jolietcity.org or U.S. mail to Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre, 201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, IL 60432.

For more information, visit www.bicentennialpark.org or call 815-724-3761.

By Randy Whalen
For the Bugle

All season long the Joliet West competitive cheer team had one mission: To win another state championship.

The Tigers accomplished that with a record performance last weekend. They capped a special season, which included a phenomenal postseason push, and won the large school state title by over four points on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. It was their second state championship in the past three seasons and last year they were second.

The final standings were: Joliet West (94.44), Marist (90.13), and Stevenson (89.43) were the top three. The 4.31 point difference between first and second, was the largest margin of victory ever for a championship in the large school class.

Sandburg (88.72) edged Huntley (88.49) for fourth. Jacobs (86.04) was sixth, defending large school champion Lincoln-Way East (85.51) placed seventh, while Prospect (85.31), Neuqua Valley (85.20), and Edwardsville (84.93) rounded out the top 10.

With a large crowd cheering them on, the Tigers had a nearly flawless performance that had most everyone in the crowded arena clapping with approval. They were the second of the large school teams to compete, and after they were done there was a feeling that they were the champions. When defending champion Lincoln-Way East had a major mistake in the middle of its performance, that pretty much sealed the deal.

“These girls were just driven and had extremely high goals since the beginning of the year,” Joliet West coach Amy DiForti said. “No one was going to stop them from it.”

When Joliet West won its first title in 2016, it actually had a little better score of 94.70. But after falling to a total of 92.71 in the loss to Lincoln-Way East (94.46) last year, the Tigers toughened up their routine.

“Just the culture of the program, it’s very strong,” DiForti said of what makes the difference. “[Assistant coach] Becky [Stortz] try new things and we focus on the mental side of things. We believe that success breeds success and the kids are used to that pressure.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment, but it’s a lot of hard work. They are the hardest working kids in the school.”

There were eight seniors on the team. All of them were there for the past three year run. They were Hope Benavidez, Leah Combs, Lea Delattre, Makayla Hurd, Mario McGowan, Jessica Orr, Lexi Stariha and Julia Todd.

“Words can’t express it,” said Todd, who was on the varsity all four years. “We enjoyed every moment. We wanted to be there for each other and the team. We didn’t hold back. We went ‘all in.’ That was our motto this year.

Combs, a 3-year varsity veteran, agreed.

“We just had to start focusing on ourselves,” she said. “It’s just super exciting. The coaches pushed us to do our best and win it.”

The rest of the members of the team were: Alyssa Anderson, Kennedy Aubry, Kelsey Bishop, Maddie Blenck, Sara Dinardo, Cheyenne Eads, Mikayla Garcia, Katie Gibson, Taylor Latta, Arielle Lindsey, Lindsey McCrea, Nya Mitchell, Jazmin Morales, Haley Nurczyk and Tia Roland. Savana Delrose is the team manager.

Joliet West is now in select company as one of only four schools to win multiple titles in the large division, joining Lincoln-Way East, Lockport, and Sandburg.

The Tigers won the Limestone Sectional on Saturday, Jan. 27 with a state-high score of 93.47. They also had the top preliminary score at state on Friday, Feb. 2 with a 92.93 mark.

For the Lockport Township cheer team it was anything but business as usual this season. The Porters transformed themselves from a conventional large school team to a coed one. The result was a perfect record as they captured the title of each competition along the way,

Although that winning streak ended in the State Finals last weekend, it was still an outstanding cheer campaign for the Porters. In their initial season in the coed division, they took home third place.

The final standings were: Belvidere North (93.97), Grant (91.60), and Lockport (89.91) were the top three. Plainfield South (86.36) was fourth, followed by Metea Valley (86.23), Guilford (85.03), Buffalo Grove (84.97), South Elgin (80.66), Glenbard East (80.59), and Shepard (80.34).

“We’re definitely happy,” Lockport coach Jenny Krumlinde said. “Our first time in the coed division here, with all the seasoned teams. Coed is a growing and very hard division, so we are happy with a trophy.

“For our seniors to get to walk across that podium [in the awards] was really special.”

The seniors are:Ariana Chudzik, Grace Crosby, Kenzie Fischer, Regan Reposh, Hannah Rimkus, Sydney Scherp, and Kara Skevis.

Two of the seniors, Reposh and Rimkus, were both 4-year varsity performers. This was their second time bringing home a trophy as they were both on the Porters second place large school division team in the 2014-2015 season. As one might expect, they were emotional afterward.

“We owe everything to coach Jenny,” Rimkus said of Krumlinde  “For the last four years I’ve been so blessed to work with her. That was a once in a lifetime experience.

“Just knowing that [the state final] was my last hurrah, I wanted to go out on a high note and we did. We had to finish strong and it made me proud to be a part of Lockport. We had such a good team this season and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Reposh agreed.

“I’m just proud to be on the podium,” Reposh said. “It was a good season. We made a few mistakes [in the final on Saturday], but we had to keep it up and keep going. I’ll just remember all the friends I’ve made and coach Jenny too. She’s such a good coach and taught us so much, cheer wise and life wise.”

A majority of the team is juniors. Mackenzie Everett, Morgan Fahey, Jocelyn Gaydos, Rachael Howard, Brooke Johnston, Jacob Martinez, Grace Motisi, Hannah Park, Aubree Peters, Nina Piazza, and Libby Walton make up the junior class.

Alaina Alberico, Cassandra Rasp, Natalee Styrczula and Halle Sweis are the four sophomore and a trio of freshmen: Isabella Giertuga, Marissa Pasco, and Grady Travis round out the roster.

In the preliminary round, which was held on Friday, Feb. 2, the Porters placed second with a score of 90.57. Belvidere North (91.76) was first. Those scores do not, however, carry over to the final day.

With the third place finish, Lockport took home its eighth trophy in Competitive Cheer. That is the second best in the state behind Lemont, which won the medium school division for the second straight season and sixth time overall on Saturday. The Indians brought home their 12th trophy in the 13 years of the IHSA state tournament.

Making its third ever state appearance, Plainfield South had its highest finish. The Cougars placed ninth in the coed division last year.

By Jeff DeGraw
For the Bugle

A dominate victory, a comeback and an emotional last qualifying battle were the highlights this past Saturday at the girls regional bowling hosted at Channahon Lanes. This regional was one of three regional sites that feed in to next week’s sectionals at Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru, IL.

Minooka dominated the team battle from the very first game and cruised to an easy regional title. The Indians bowled a six game total of 6, 145. 

Also winning individual honors was Minooka junior Kristina Sickler who rolled a 1,389 six-game series. The Indians also had three other bowlers place in the top 11 as freshman Kiara Backstrom was sixth (1,235), freshman Jenna Newton 10th (1,216) and junior Gina Russell 11th (1,206).

“This means a lot to win the team title,” Sickler said. “The individual title is great as long as we bowl well as a team, that is what comes first. We did this as a group, a team and we are all best friends. We have such a young team and Gina [Russell] and I are the old veterans as juniors. We always work together and pick each other up as a group. It was special to win at this house, this is our place now.”

“Each week we continue to get better and that is what you want at this time of the season,” Minooka coach Frank Yudzentis said. “Especially with such a young team, they have really bought into the process of getting better each week. Kristina and Gina have really taken the leadership role of this team seriously and have matured as leaders.

“Today, we just went out and bowled our game, picked up spares, which is so important because that is where your scoring comes from.”

The comeback came from the Tigers of Joliet West. They dug themselves an early hole and had to fight all the way back. After being in 8th place after the first game, the Tigers finally made it into a qualifying spot after game five and bowled their best game in the finale to take the runner-up spot. Their afternoon three games were only nine pins off Minooka.

“It was nerves at the beginning,” Tiger coach Jeff Bailey said. “It was an emotional day and we used everyone on the team. We would have four very good games, but just couldn’t find that fifth. But everyone came together, stepped up when needed. This was a total team effort.”

Camryn Feehan finished second overall with a score of 1,313, with Alexis Robbins finishing 16th and Barbara Lunsford finished 18th.

The battle for the final qualifying spot was back and forth during the entire sixth game between Plainfield Central and Lincoln-Way East.

The Wildcats started the day well and was in second place after two games but couldn’t find the rhythm until that final game.

East started the final game down to the Wildcats by 65 pins, but they quickly made that up and even had a lead of about forty pins heading to the final four frames of the sixth game. But in those final frames, Central got the ball rolling and quickly, not only made up the ground, but pushed the lead to the final 40 pin cushion to secure the final sectional qualifying spot.

“I only have one thing to say about this team,” an emotional Central coach Connie McGrath said. “They stayed together and I’m so, so proud of them. They did this together as a team and that is what got them through the day.”

Freshman Ari Guarino lead the Wildcats with a 1,246 to finish in fifth place. Megan Allensworth placed 15th, with Chloe Cavanaugh in 17th and Aly Bilak in 19th.

Joliet Central finished their team season with an eighth place finish, with junior Tara Tindall finishing in 21st place and qualifying as an individual for sectionals.

Plainfield South was 10th with freshman Laura Rohlfs leading the Cougars with a 29th place finish.

Brenton H. “Brent” “Bink” Wadsworth, age 88, U.S. Air Force veteran, 1952-1954, a resident of Yorkville, and Tarpon Springs, Fla., died February 6, 2018 at his home. He was born March 11, 1929 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Beloved husband of Jean Wadsworth (nee Both), whom he married February 14, 1954, loving father of Stanley Wadsworth of Aurora, Leslie (Paul Loague) Wadsworth of Aurora, Martha (Mark Grimm) Wadsworth of Cornelius, N.C. and Eric (Traci) Wadsworth of Tampa, adored grandfather of Brenton and Tess Wadsworth, devoted son of the late Dr. Harold and Julia (nee Hamilton) Wadsworth, dear brother of Betty Jones of Joliet, and the late Stanley (Mary of Scottsdale, Ariz.) Wadsworth, fond brother-in-law, cousin, uncle, great-uncle and friend of many.
He grew up in Joliet and is a graduate of University of Illinois School of Landscape Architecture. He worked for Robert Bruce Harris, a mid-century golf course architectural firm. He then proudly served in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 to 1954. He married Alice Jean Both, of La Grange in 1954.
In 1955 he started a golf course design firm, Packard and Wadsworth. Then in 1958 parted ways to establish Wadsworth Golf Construction Company for the purpose of constructing golf courses. The golf industry exploded and The Wadsworth Golf Construction Company built over 900 golf courses primarily in the United States with many receiving high accolades. He modestly achieved extensive recognition of his contributions to the game of golf.
Brent believed in providing the less fortunate people an opportunity for enjoyment from the game of golf. Through his company, contributions are made to charities devoted to these endeavors. In particular, the disadvantaged, disabled, families and youth are targeted recipients. To further those goals, he established the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation in 1997 along with his wife and children. The Foundation, through the years, sought to make the character building attributes of golf accessible to more people by making gifts and grants to many organizations throughout the entire country that supported the Foundation’s mission of self improvement, which in turn could benefit society to become a more honorable, gentler and friendlier place.
Aurora University awarded Brent with a Doctorate of Humanities in 2008 and he received a Doctorate of Humanities in 2013 from Lewis University.
The enrichment from several church affiliations was paramount in Brent’s daily life and his marriage of 63 years. He loved life and had a unique zeal when interfacing with people whether it was childhood friends, neighbors, employees, church members, customers or locals. He was devoted to his fraternity and friends from college throughout his life. Recreation was always close to nature as he was amazed at the incredible beauty enveloped across the country.
Brenton’s amazing life was one of genuine hard work, resourcefulness, great accomplishment, unprecedented generosity, eternal modesty and unwavering kindness. All apparent in his unforgettable smile. It is hard to believe that he started with nothing and gave as each success afforded him to do so. As a special friend acutely acknowledged at his 60th birthday “You would never hear a word of this from Brent as Brent’s life was heaven sent.”
Visitation Saturday, February 10, 3-5 p.m. at Overman-Jones Funeral Home, 15219 S. Joliet Road (Corner of Rts. 30 & 59), Plainfield.
Additional Visitation Sunday, February 11, 2-3 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 2505 Boomer Lane, Yorkville, IL 60560. (630) 553-7645.
Funeral Services will follow Sunday, 3p.m. at the church with Rev. Michael Stoner officiating.
Private Interment: Oak Grove Cemetery, Bristol, Ill.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brent’s memory can be made to the: Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation.
The Foundation is dedicated to improving society through the embodiment of the moral, ethical and cultural codes of the game of golf.
Checks may be made to Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, 13941 Van Dyke Road, Plainfield, IL 60544, (815) 436-8400 or please visit www.wadsworthgolffoundation.org/donation.php
For more information, please call (815) 436 – 9221 or visit www.overman-jones.com.