Oak Lawn Community High School will induct Dr. William A. Reiners, class of 1955, into the school's Alumni Hall of Fame on Monday, October 26, 2015, 7:00 p.m. Reiners will also serve as the guest speaker at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony that same evening. Both the AHOF Induction and NHS Ceremonies are open to the public.

Reiners earned his B.A. in 1959 from Knox College and his M.S. in 1962 from Rutgers University. Reiners earned his Ph.D. in 1964 from Rutgers University; he then went to University of Minnesota where he served as Assistant Professor of Botany. Reiners then served for 17 years on the faculty of the Dartmouth College, where he rose to Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences Reiners then served as Head of the Botany Department at the University of Wyoming for six years after which he completed his career as Professor where he has now retired as Professor Emeritus.

Reiners' academic contributions, particularly his role in the evolution of global change science, are too numerous to list. Bill's area of expertise is plant and ecosystem ecology and his early research contributed to the understanding of acid rain. He is internationally recognized as an authority on the effects of global climate change on mountain, tundra, and tropical ecosystems. He has been a pioneer in the development of Geographic Information Science (GIS) and the use of remote sensing, essential tools for many kinds of operations, including tracing global change. His scientific output has been prodigious, with 129 peer-reviewed publications and three books.

Dr. Reiners is the school's 22^nd Alumni Hall of Fame inductee. The school annually reviews nomination and selects candidates on the criteria of having a high level of achievement in his/her career field, made significant contributions to his/her career field at the state, national, and/ or international level, and has demonstrated leadership, character, and service in a variety of venues from his/her field of expertise to community, state, and national initiatives.

Fishing Team Hosts Bass Tournament

The Spartan Fishing Team is enjoying another successful season this year. Their latest competition included over 115 high school anglers from 20 schools at the DesPlaines Conservation Area on October 3, 2015. Rayjus Outdoors, Unique Bassmasters, Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation, and the Oak Lawn High School Spartan Fishing Team partnered together to present the 2015 Rayjus Outdoors - Oak Lawn Community High School Bass Tournament on the Kankakee/DesPlaines River.

A steady stream of teams arrived at the Conservation Area at 5:20 a.m. As teams registered, each student angler received a gift bag from Rayjus Outdoors containing merchandise from Rayjus, Strike King, Rat-L-Trap, Shimano, and Cr�me Lures. All 33 boats were in the water by 7:00 a.m. and the tournament began at 7:10 a.m. With morning temperatures in the upper 40's and a light rain throughout the morning hours, student anglers braved through the wind and rain and fished hard.

Jake Korpics and Seung-Kook You of Streamwood High School won the tournament with a five fish limit: four smallmouth and one largemouth. Most of their fish came off a tiny black and blue jig. Korpics stated about the team's 5th fish, "I caught that largemouth on a figure 8 with a swim jig. I missed it the first time and came back for it." That bass made for a memorable day and propelled the team into a first place finish.

Maciek Chmielewski, from Hinsdale South, caught the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass of the tournament. Maciek recalled, "I caught the fish near shore on a soft plastic. It hit hard and started pulling drag and I let it tire itself out before having my partner net it." For his catch, Maciek was awarded a Bass Pro Shops XPS Stalker Backpack Tackle Bag courtesy of Bass Pro Shops, Bolingbrook, IL. The top five finishing teams in the tournament were Streamwood, Minooka, Joliet Central, Morris, and Oak Lawn.

This tournament was also an Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation High School Championship qualifying event. Congratulations to Minooka 1 and Momence for advancing to the state finals. The creature fish tournament winner was Shane Skeffington of Oak Lawn Community High School. While casting a worm, Shane caught a 15-inch walleye from shore.

Oak Lawn Community High School is very pleased to work with Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation, Unique Bassmasters, and Rayjus Outdoors to make the annual tournament possible. For questions about next year's tournament, please email Coach Kuchyt at ckuchyt@olchs.org.

Cipriani Dives Right in for Success

Each week the Athletic Department and the Spartan Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) selects a Spartan Athlete of the week. The recipient for the week of September 28 is freshman diver Jenna Cipriani.

This freshman broke another school record this past weekend and has broken two 30-year-old records in the past three weeks. Cipriani broke the six-dive freshman/sophomore record this past week, and she broke the 11-dive record two weeks ago. This freshman is certainly making the most of her young career.

Other athletes nominated for Spartan Athlete of the Week were Anthony Masterson (Football), Sade Rangel (Cross Country), Leann Peschel (Tennis), and Mohammad Farraj (Soccer).

Spartan Creative Writing Club Seeks Student Work

All students are welcome to submit their poems, short stories, drawings, photographs, and other creative expressions for the 2016 Edition of the Pegasus, the school's creative writing magazine. Students can submit their entries in person, by email, or through the Showbie App (code: M38GR) on their iPad. Students are also welcome to join the club and attend weekly meetings, share their creative work, and attend workshops. More information is available from Sponsor Colleen Conway in Room 12.

Theater Program Chooses To Rock

Oak Lawn Community High School's theater program is rehearsing and preparing to rock its audiences this year. This year's school musical, American Idiot, is a musical featuring the music of the rock band Green Day and tis the story about three young men who start the show bored in suburbia and disenchanted with the world around them. They take off for the big city to discover themselves and find the temptations and perils of growing up and finding their place in the world.

This year's productions will take place on Thursday, October 22, Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 the day of the show. Tickets are available through the ticket hotline at 708-424-5200 x5920.

Musical director Billy Denton said, "We are fortunate enough to be one of the first high schools in the nation to be performing this musical; it's definitely an edgy and gritty look at the trials and tribulations of young adults and the hard realities that we all face when figuring out who we are as we grow older. The students have been handling the material wonderfully, and it's been exciting to watch the songs many of us grew up with come to life on the stage."

Internet Safety Seminar for Parents

Chicago Police Detective Charlie Hollendoner will lead a parent-only seminar at 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, at Oak Lawn Community High School in the Little Theater. The seminar is intended for parents of elementary and high school students. The presentation will focus on the dangers of social media. No registration is required. OLCHS students will offer babysitting for the evening seminar at no charge.

Juvenile Expungement Summit

The John Marshall Law School's Pro Bono Program and Clinic is hosting a Juvenile Expungement Summit on Thursday, November 5, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the The John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, Illinois. In order to receive services, you must pre-register for the summit by Friday, October 30th. Space is limited so we encourage people to sign up quickly!

At the summit, attorneys and students at The John Marshall Law School will provide free expungement services to those in our community who have a juvenile record. A consent form will need to be completed, which will allow the program to obtain a participant's information prior to the summit. A criminal record can be a barrier to success. One in three people in America will be arrested by the time they are 23. All of these people will have a criminal record, even if they were released after arrest without being charged. Having a juvenile record can be a significant barrier to employment, financial aid, housing, and other opportunities. We are so grateful for your cooperation in helping us to provide this crucial service to our community. <<read more>>

Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, Oak Lawn, Illinois

Mission Statement. Oak Lawn Community High School exists to: inspire, challenge, and empower students and staff in a safe, supportive environment; maximize individual potential through academic and personal growth; and graduate students who attain the high standards set forth by our community.

Board of Education: Webpage-Spartan-Logo

Matthew Egan, President

Robert Loehr, Vice President
Kathleen Berry, Secretary
Timothy Burke, Member
Stephen Greene, Member
Ann Touhy, Member

Administration:
Dr. Michael Riordan, Superintendent/Principal
Richard Hendricks, Assistant Superintendent
Joseph McCurdy, Assistant Principal

Dr. Jeana Lietz, Assistant Principal