The Good Sport Edition

On the Court & In the Stands

A positive school culture and success in athletics/activities often go hand in hand. If this winter season is an accurate barometer, then our school culture is very strong and positive. As you can see in the “Highlights and Successes” section of this week’s blog post, great things are happening weekly in the gyms, in the pool and in our competitive activities. In fact, Fremd has sent competitors to almost every possible state competition in the activities we offer during the winter:

Photo courtesy of Michael O'Brien's (Sun-Times) Twitter account

• Boys Swimming (competing this weekend, check out Friday’s Daily Herald article about our team)
• Gymnastics
• Wrestling
• Cheer
• Dance
• Speech
• Chess

Several competitive activities are nearing their state competition, such as HOSA, BPA, Debate and Scholastic Bowl. Additionally, both the Boys and Girls Basketball teams’ hopes are alive for a state tournament berth.

I want to both thank you for your support of our competitive teams, and to encourage your attendance during the culminating events and tournaments. Not only do our students appreciate seeing lots of familiar faces in the stands, but your presence can also provide a competitive advantage to our teams.

Here are some things that you can continue to do to make sure you (and your student) are representing Fremd in the best possible light in the stands:

• Honor the game--Act in a way that makes others proud of our team and our fans.
• Let the refs, coaches and players do their jobs...they all have tough jobs, and they are doing them to the best of their ability.
• Be a Culture-Keeper--You know what it means to be a good sport. Do your part to make sure that others are also showing good sportsmanship.
• “How you play a game shows some of your character. How you win or lose a game shows all of it.” - Bart Starr 

Highlights and Successes:

• Congratulations to Directors Matt Moore, Marla Caballero, and Christina Collins and the following ILMEA All-State Student Musicians:  Band: Bethany Sorman; Orchestra: Lauren Cardoza, Andres Carrero, Daniel Choi, Hannah Lin; Chorus: Lauren Berryhill, Kay Petrie, Ria Ravi, Collin Schroeder and Allison Gile.
• Congratulations to IHSA Chess State Medalist Anthony Mu on taking 6th place on Board 6 at the State Meet.
• Congratulations to the following State Medalists at the State Speech Competition:  Impromptu Speaking, 5th place Jack Rosenwinkel; Radio Speaking, 6th place Devin Dionne and Humorous Duet Acting, 6th place Brian Rosenwinkel and Pagie Dirkes Jacks.
• Congratulations to Coach David Yates and the Girls Basketball Team on winning the Regional Championship.
• Congratulations to Coach Kristen Newby and the following Boys Swimming & Diving State Qualifiers:  1st place and New School Record Medley Relay -  Tony Lee, Alex Schillinger, Nick Seroni, Nick Nevins; 2nd place 200 Freestyle: -  Nick Seroni; 5rh place 200 Freestyle - Arnas Maciunas; 2nd place 200 Individual Medley - Alex Schillinger; 2nd place Diving - Zach Mega; 1st place 50 Freestyle - Nick Nevins; 2nd place 50 Freestyle - Danny Konishi; 2nd place 100 Butterfly - Nick Seroni; 2nd place 100 Freestyle - Danny Konishi;4th place 100 Freestyle - Arnas Maciunas; 5th place 500 Freestyle - Paul Ponte; 1st place 200 Freestyle Relay - Nick Nevins, Danny Konishi, Tony Lee, Arnas Maciunas; 3rd place 100 Backstroke - Paul Ponte; 6th place 100 Backstroke - Tony Lee; 1st place 100 Breastroke - Alex Schillinger and 1st place 400 Free Relay - Nick Nevins, Danny Konishi, Nick Seroni, Arnas Maciunas.
• Congratulations to Swim Coach Kristen Newby on being named Sectional Coach of the Year!
• Congratulations to Fremd’s competitive showchoir, Soundscape, for placing 1st in their division at El Paso-Gridley High School.  The group involves 41 students in grades 9-12 along with 9 instrumentalist in the combo.  Annie Yamamoto and Luke Madden were acknowledged as outstanding performers from the group and Nicole Calvaresi was a finalist in the solo competition for singing “She Used to Be Mine” from the musical, Waitress.
• Congratulations to wrestler Zach Nemec on winning 3rd place (285) at the State Competition.
• Congratulations to Coach Bob Widlowski and the Fremd Boys Basketball Team on winning the MSL Championship!

Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events

February 24	Boys Swimming & Diving State @ New Trier H.S.
February 25	Girls Track & Field Triangular @ Glenbard West H.S. - 9:00 a.m. Boys Swimming & Diving State @ New Trier H.S.
February 27	Girls Basketball Super Sectional @ Dundee Crown H.S. - 7:00 p.m. Orchestra Chamber Night - 6:00-9:00 p.m.
February 28	Boys Basketball Regional @ Hoffman Estates H.S. - 7:30 p.m.

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

Staff Spotlight

Name: Rob Berki

Position: Business Education Teacher

Years at Fremd: 2

Life Before Fremd: Born in Oregon, raised in Nebraska (go big red!), I’ve been gradually working my way east across the country. I worked in higher education, primarily in enrollment, for about 10 years. I also was an adjunct faculty member teaching economic courses. When I was in college my advisor told me it would take an extra semester to finish my education degree so in a moment of self-righteousness I balked and changed my major. There I was 10 years later still finishing my ed. Cert. program. I thought my previous professional experiences were a wasted part of my life, but I look back now and realize how much I learned and experienced that I’m able to use in the classroom.

Hobbies/Interests: Primarily sports, although these days as a parent to two daughters, we are basically just super busy with life. I still play basketball in leagues when I can, and I love sports and movies. I wish I had more time to work on my golf game, but I never seem to get any better anyway! I also love technology, I spend a lot of time tinkering around my house with tech, much to the annoyance of everyone else!

Insider Tip for Parents: Make sure you are checking in on the Infinite Campus portal to see how your student is doing, and make sure to join the Schoology pages of your students classes. All the information you need to know how your student is doing academically can be found there in real time, it’s really unbelievable how much is available online now, you don’t need to wait for a midterm report or a call from the teacher.

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.