April Fool's Day Edition

Victor E. Viking Lives On!

Students and staff (and some parents) were tricked into thinking we switched mascots today, opting for the Fremd 42ers, which is a reference to Fremd's location on the 42nd parallel. Here is our day in pictures:

The website and Twitter account were made to look official.

Coach Sponsel shows off the new helmet decals

Our "new" mascot, playing off the compass coordinates theme.

42er merchandise gave the joke added legitimacy

Victor had a chance to say his good-byes

Victor's last encounter at Fremd was somewhat hostile!

Highlights and Successes:

• Congratulations to March English Student of the Month Maddie Scharm.
• Congratulations to Coach Martin Zacharia and the following State medalists Debate winners:  Matthew Baughman, Finalist, Congressional Debate; Zachary Jordan & Ishan Taparia, Semifinalist, Public Forum Debate; Angie Peng, Quarterfinalist, Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Eugene Kim & Annie Zheng, Quarterfinalist, Public Forum Debate; Abhinav Balu & Adhith Palla, Octafinalists, Public Forum Debate and All-State Debate Team:  Matthew Baughman, Nabeela Syed, Annie Zheng, Eugene Kim, Zachary Jordan and Angie Peng.
• Congratulations to Coach Tim Hamman the Boys Gymnastics Team on winning first place at the Krupicka Invite.  Congratulations to Eric Barnd on winning 3rd place Pommel Horse, 1st place Vault, 1st place High Bar and 1st place All Around.
• Congratulations to Coach Tim Hamman the Boys Gymnastics Team on winning 3rd place at the Rolling Meadows Invite.  Award winners include:  Ryan Roth, 1st place Floor Exercise and Eric Barnd, 2nd place High Bar.
• Congratulations to the following Boys Basketball All Conference/ All Area award winners:  Kyle Sliwa, Payton Kim and Patrick Benka.
• Congratulations to Coach Marilyn Berdick and Coach Judy Klingner and the Fremd Group Interpretation on advancing to the State Competition.

Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events

April 1	Boys Baseball vs. Glenbrook South - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball vs. Heritage Park vs. Grayslake North - 4:30 p.m. Girls Soccer @ Buffalo Grove H.S. - 6:00 p.m.
April 2	Craft Fair - 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Group Interp. State Meet Boys Tennis @ Jacobs H.S. - 9;00 a.m. Girls Softball @ Warren H.S. - 10:00 a.m. Girls Soccer vs. Schaumburg - 12:30 p.m.
April 4	Boys Baseball vs. Crystal Lake - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball @ Carmel H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Boys Water Polo @ Hoffman Estates H.S. - 5:30 p.m. Girls Water Polo vs. Hoffman Estates H.S. - 5:30 p.m. Girls Soccer vs. Palatine H.S. - 6:30 p.m.
April 5	Late Start (8:50 a.m.) Choral Classics Concert - Auditorium 7:00 p.m. Boys Track & Field @ Conant H.S.-4:30 p.m. Girls Badminton @ Hoffman Estates H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball @ Cary Grove H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Boys Baseball @ Prairie Ridge H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Track & Field vs. Conant H.S. - 4:45 p.m. Boys Volleyball vs. Hoffman Estates H.S. - 6:00 p.m. Boys LaCrosse @ Grayslake H.S. - 6:30 p.m.
April 6	Girls Badminton @ Stevenson H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball vs. Jacobs H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Water Polo vs. Elk Grove H.S. - 5:45 p.m. Boys Gymnastics vs. Elk Grove H.S. - 6:00 p.m. Girls Soccer vs. Conant H.S. - 6:30 p.m.
April 7	Girls Badminton @ Palatine H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball vs. Huntley - 4:30 p.m. Boys Baseball vs. Loyola - 4:30 p.m. Boys Volleyball vs. Palatine H.S.- 6:00 p.m. Boys LaCrosse@ Conant H.S. - 7:00 p.m. Boys Water Polo @ Elk Grove H.S. - 7:00 p.m. Girls LaCrosse vs. Conant H.S. - 7:30 p.m.

For a more complete list, please visit our Athletics Page.

Staff Spotlight

Name:  Marilyn Berdick

Position:  English teacher/ Drama director

Years at Fremd:  25th year at Fremd

Life Before Fremd:  I taught at Schaumburg High School and McHenry High School West Campus before coming to Fremd.  I am a proud graduate of Glenbrook South High School, Illinois Wesleyan University (bachelor’s degree), and Northwestern University (master’s degree).

Hobbies/Interests: I go to Chicago often to see theatre and attend music events.  Our great city has so much to offer in terms of artistic opportunities; I can’t go to everything that I’d like to!  I also love to watch sports and am a die-hard Cubs fan and Northwestern football fan.  Chicago has great sports opportunities too!  I am very close with my family and keep busy with all our family activities as well.  I also love to travel and read.

Insider Tip for Parents

While no one aims for failure or not succeeding, it’s okay when it happens.  We all can’t be great or even average at everything we do.  Allow your child to stumble on their various journeys in life and then allow them to figure out how to recover from that stumble.  Certainly be there to support them so they don’t fall down completely but also realize that the best lessons can often come from not doing well.  Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Ask the Principal

Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.