Internet Safety Seminar for Parents  
Internet Safety

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. 


Did You See Our Facebook Posts This Week?
Team Effort Helps Boys Cross Country Qualify for Sectional  
When people think of cross country, many think of it as an individual sport. This couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to the boys cross country team this season. This past Saturday the Spartans ran at Midlothian Meadows in the Illinois High School Association Regional, and they used their depth and team attitude to take third place and qualify for this week's sectional race to be held at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in Hinsdale.

The team ran strong with the top two runners posting their best times of the season. Senior Steve Raybould placed 11th and ran the three-mile course in 16:04, and junior Diego Arana took 13th in a time of 16:10. Brian Baldwin dropped more than a minute from his previous best time of the year and place 23rd overall. Ricky Lewandowski ran it in 17:09 and placed 26th, while Romello Williams finished 29th in 17:18. <<read more>>
 

Spartan Soccer Steps Closer to Ultimate Goal With Strong Regional Play  
The boys soccer program has set a goal of winning a conference championship and winning a regional championship. After all, the Spartans have not won the South Suburban Conference Red crown since 2008. This year, Oak Lawn nearly accomplished the latter of the two goals falling to Marist by the score of 1-0 Saturday in the Class 3A Regional Championship game at Stagg. Despite the narrow loss, head coach Nate Joiner knows his team is on the verge of breaking through.

"It really hurt the guys to come so close to winning, but I know the pain will motivate them because we are returning all eleven starters next year," he said. "This was our most successful team since the 2008 conference champion team. If they work really hard in the offseason, they will have a great chance of achieving their goals of winning conference and a regional championship."

The Spartans played well all season as they posted a final record of 14-8-1, including advancing to the finals of the Consolation bracket in the 32-team Windy City Ram Classic. They also capped off the regular season with impressive wins over Evergreen Park and St. Laurence.  <<read more>>

Spartan Journalists Place at Mock Competition 
The old adage "practice makes perfect" applies for the Oak Lawn Community High School Journalism Team. The team performed exceptionally well in the mock practice events at the South Suburban Conference (SSC) Journalism Event at Moraine Valley Community College on Friday, October 23, 2015. Michaela (Mikki) Horvath led the Spartans by earning a first place in Yearbook Copywriting and Casey Fitzpatrick secured a second place medal for News Writing.  

The Journalism team is a combination of the Spartanite school newspaper and the yearbook club Shield. This SSC conference event is an opportunity for students to learn from professionals in the journalism field and to compete in a mock practice of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Journalism competition. The students were able to get a feel of the local competition. Last minute entry Michaela Horvath exclaimed, "I was shocked. I know it sounds cheesy, but I never expected to win."

The team is composed of some new members like Mikki and has some experienced returning members like junior Casey Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick said, "Competing in the SSC Moraine Mock Competition is something I look forward to every year.  I love going out with the Journalism Team and learning about real-life journalism." The SSC Journalism conference marks the beginning of the Journalism season. Journalism team coach Patrick DiFilippo proclaimed, "I love going to this event because we always have students like Mikki and Casey that rise to the occasion against top notch competition."  The Journalism team will be working towards building on the early season success.  In the upcoming months, they will be finalizing a strong sectional roster and preparing for the state competition at Eastern Illinois University.  <<read more>>
 
Foreign Language Department to Host French Week  
National French Week is just around the corner.  French Week will take place November 2-6.  As part of the celebration, two school-wide contests are planned.  For the first contest, teachers who have a fourth period class will decorate their classrooms with items associated with France or the French language.  In addition, participants must include some sort of representation of a French related person that can be tied to that subject area.  For example, a history class could include a picture of an historical French figure or a science class could display a picture of a French scientist.   On Thursday, November 5, French 2 students will visit each room and take pictures to select the winner.  Prizes for the top three decorated rooms will be awarded:  first prize is a pizza party, second prize is doughnuts and third prize is Belgian chocolate coins.  

The second contest is "Find the French-Speaking Celebrity." Twelve teachers will receive a picture of a French-speaking celebrity in their mailbox.  The teachers will then place the picture anywhere in their room for the students to find during National French Week.  When a student locates a celebrity's picture, they bring it to room 256 after school.  In order to claim the prize, the student must know the name of the celebrity.   <<read more>>

Spartans Host Annual Coat Drive  
The Junior Class Advisory Board and the Student Services Department are hosting a Coat Drive from November 4 through December 14, 2015.  The coats will be donated to local community organizations. This is the school's 13th consecutive year for hosting the drive and over  100 coats have been collected each year. 

New or slightly-used coats can be dropped-off in the school's Student Services Office or at the Southwest Highway Greeter's Station during school business hours, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Public Forum ISBE Division of Special Education Services   
Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 invites you to attend a public forum conducted by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Division of Special Education Services.  Our District has been selected for a focused monitoring review regarding educational placement decisions for students with disabilities.  The ISBE team leader will explain the focused monitoring process about placement decisions and provide you an opportunity to share your comments.  The forum is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2015, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Board of Education Conference Room 119.   Information Letter

Students Witness Federal Arson Case  
Field trips are life's best lesson plans.  Social science teacher Steve Long is committed to providing hands-on experiences for his students. On October 23, 2015, Steve took 27 students from his American Society class to the Dirksen Federal Building to see federal courts in action. Half of these students had the opportunity to witness the prosecution's closing statement in a federal arson case.  All students talked with federal judges and argued their mock trial in a federal courtroom.  Steve said, "It was a great day to be at the federal court building. We were able to witness an arson case and meet for 45 minutes with a federal judge appointed by President Obama: Judge Dow."  <<read more>>

Jimenez Shines in Football Finale for Top Athletic Honor of Week 
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 October 19 is senior Lucas Jimenez of the football team. Jimenez finished the season with 35 tackles and 13 kickoff returns for a total of 260 yards.
 
Jimenez came out for the first time as a senior and immediately set the tone for effort and discipline. He has a top-ranked work ethic and quickly established himself as a leader. He is one of three all-conference members and is a SALT member.

Other nominees for the week include tennis player Luz Cruz and Jessica Sciaky of cross country.  <<read more>>

Attendance...Every Day Matters!   
Success in school is linked closely with being in the classroom, joining in class discussion, and doing the assigned work on a regular basis. In the classroom, students can take full advantage of classmates' ideas, teacher explanations of assignments, and other material that enriches learning. There is no way to duplicate the same classroom experience after a student has been absent. Missing just two days a month means a student misses 10% of the school year.


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!  <<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