The boys cross country team has made great strides since the summer, and it paid off with a South Suburban Conference Red championship last weekend.

After inheriting a solid group of runners from Coach Chris Repa, first-year head coach Susan Szala kept things moving in the right direction with a few new ideas. It all started back in June with voluntary workouts. And as time progressed, the boys sat down and established the goal of winning the conference meet.

Earlier in the year, Luis Garcia ran his fastest time to that point at Peoria with a time of 15:47. However, he said, "I hate all this change, especially with the dynamic stretches, but I have to admit it is working." And in the end, it worked to help the team accomplish its goal of a conference crown. It is the first conference title for the boys since 2011 when all of these seniors were freshmen.

"Winning conference was big for the whole team, but it was especially sweet for our seniors," Szala said. "The last time the Oak Lawn boys cross country team won conference was in 2011. They knew what victory was, and to be able to start their high school careers out with a victory and end with a victory was really special. The runners have dedicated a lot of time and effort to improving. It takes more than an individual performance; it requires a strong team effort from everyone for us to be successful."

Overall, the team earned two second-place plaques, a third-place plaque and the coveted conference championship trophy. The runners include Garcia, Nick Minnella, Diego Arana, Steve Raybould, Romello Williams, Omar Abdelrahman, and Eric Sciaky. Garcia placed second, Arana took third and Minnella placed fourth. Raybould and Williams finished fourth and fifth, respectively to get the narrow victory. This weekend the Spartans will run in the Illinois High School Association Regional Meet.  <<read more>>

The Foreign Language Department will carry on its tradition of El Dia de los Muertos. El Dia de los Muertos means Day of the Dead, a Latin American tradition where families honor and welcome back their loved ones who have passed away.  During this time, people create altars, placing items that are a representation (or simply items they enjoyed) of those who have passed.  The celebration will begin October 28th and the altars will be displayed until November 4th.  Students in foreign language classes have been putting together artifacts and decorations to place in the Media Center to honor those they miss.

The foreign language department invites all faculty, staff and students to participate in this tradition. To honor someone who has passed, please bring their picture in a picture frame along with a few items that represent them in a clear bag with your name on each item by Monday, October 27. These items will be displayed in the Media Center and will be returned the following week. <<read more>>

Extra! Extra!  Spartanite Newspaper and Shield Yearbook students received extra training at the South Suburban Conference (SSC) Publications Workshop. The annual event was held at Moraine Valley Community College. The workshop provides high school journalists from around the south suburbs the opportunity to learn from professional journalists. 

OLCHS Yearbook Adviser Patrick DiFilippo raved, "the students learned some remarkable techniques that they can bring to their student publications." The workshop began with a moving keynote speech by Daily SouthtownStar sports writer Tony Baranek. Baranek spoke of his passion for covering high school sports and about the commitment needed to become a working journalist in the current market.

After the keynote speech, students were able to attend sessions on photography, design trends, and even a sports writing session led by iconic Chicago radio personality Les Grobstein.  In addition to the workshops, a small group of students were also chosen to compete in a mock journalism competition in preparation for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) sectionals in April of 2015.

The young OLCHS journalists were determined to take home some hardware and they did with junior Aleksandra Gronski capturing a third place medal in Yearbook Copywriting. The students plan to use the enriching experiences from the workshop session to continue producing high quality student publications for the 2014-2015 school year and beyond.  <<read more>>

 This year's musical is How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company while trying to avoid certain employees trying to stop his meteoric rise and dealing with the romantic advances of a secretary falling head over heels for him.

Theater director Billy Denton said, "I love classic musicals, and while this one may not be as well-known as other Broadway shows, it's a great comedy with many memorable roles and songs for the students and audience members to enjoy.  We've had a lot of new talent step up for this demanding show, and I'm excited to see how their hard work pays off for the public performances."

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will be performed on Thursday, November 6; Friday, November 7; and Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The performance will be at Oak Lawn Community High School (9400 Southwest Highway) in the Auditorium Gym. 

The advance ticket price is $10.00. Tickets can be purchased through cast/crew members or by contacting the ticket hotline number at 708/424-5200 x5920.  Additional information is available on the school's website at www.olchs.org or by contacting the show's producer Mrs. Meredith McGuire at mmcguire@olchs.org or 708-424-5200 x5920.  <<read more>>

Registration for Family Reading Night must be completed online.