The 2015-16 Northwest Suburban Daily Herald Academic Team gathers at Harper College in Palatine. From left: Kaitlyn Lee, Barrington High School; Angelo Bastas, Elk Grove High School; Kiera Gavin, Palatine High School; Shreyas Gandlur, Hoffman Estates High School; Zalman Faltushanskiy, Wheeling High School; Shriram Chennakesavalu, James B. Conant High School; Trevor Glasgow, Rolling Meadows High School; Haripriya Mehta, Maine West High School and Jiamin Huang, William Fremd High School. Not pictured: Srinivas Cherukuri, Schaumburg High School.
Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
Prepare to meet some of the smartest and most dedicated academics who have ever crossed your path. The 2015-16 Daily Herald Academics Teams - from the Northwest suburbs, Lake County, DuPage County and the Fox Valley - are made up of teenagers, all of who have a maturity of purpose that far outstrips many of their peers.
Among the honorees are graduating high school seniors who have achieved perfect or near-perfect ACT and SAT scores, who have taken the most rigorous courses available at their high schools and will take more of the same in college.
To make the Academic Team or be an honorable mention, a student must be nominated by his or her high school. Each student supplies his or her grades for seven semesters, test scores, grade-point averages, a list of awards and honors, extracurriculars and scholarships. Students must write personal essays describing why they have pledged themselves to their studies and what they want to do with their lives. A teacher or counselor must write a letter of recommendation for each nominee that talks not just about their academic prowess, but also about what the teen has done in life besides academics.
The point of the Academic Team is not mastery of subjects alone but to celebrate teens who also show themselves to be whole people, involved in their school and community, and who have a purpose behind their hard work.
Meet the 2015-16 Teams and honorable mentions. Amazing kids, every one.
Honorable mentions: Northwest Suburban Academic Team, 2015-2016
Honorable mentions: Lake County Academic Team, 2015-2016
2015-2016 Fox Valley Academic Team
2015-2016 Lake County Academic Team
Honorable mentions: DuPage County Academic Team, 2015-2016
Honorable mentions: Fox Valley Academic Team, 2015-2016
2015-2016 DuPage County Academic Team
2015-2016 Northwest Suburban Academic Team
The 2015-16 Daily Herald Lake County Academic Team poses at the College of Lake County in Grayslake. Front row, from left: Yash Miriyala, Lakes Community High School; Molly Carmody, Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart; Lucy Wu, Vernon Hills High School; Isaiah Liu, Vernon Hills High School. Back row, from left: Hannah Manetsch, Libertyville High School; Bill Wei, Adlai E. Stevenson High School; Katie McGuckin, Lake Zurich High School; Matthew Farejowicz, Lake Zurich High School; Elliot Stahnke, Libertyville High School and Rebecca Nelson, Adlai E. Stevenson High School.
Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
The 2015-16 Daily Herald DuPage County Academic Team at the College of DuPage. Front row, from left: Ummesalmah Abdulbaseer, Islamic Foundation School; Apoorva Tummala, Neuqua Valley High School; Alex Lettenberger, Glenbard West High School; Nicole Marcus, Naperville North High School and Sally Nijim, Willowbrook High School. Back row, from left: Sarvasva Raghuvanshi, Neuqua Valley High School; Tomasz Rynkiewicz, Glenbard East High School; Timothy Pisarski, St. Francis High School and Kannon Nelms, Addison Trail High School. Not pictured: James Zhou, Hinsdale Central High School.
Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
The 2015-16 Fox Valley Daily Herald Academic Team outside the Gail Borden Library in Elgin. Sitting, from left: Hannah Gillespie, Marian Central Catholic High School; Parth Shah, Harry D. Jacobs High School; Deniz Namik, Dundee-Crown High School. Standing, from left: Archan Vyas, St. Charles North High School; Andrew Park, St. Charles East High School; Michael Wilkins, Geneva Community High School; Matthew Cannalte, Huntley High School; Harrison Kearby, Marmion Academy and Valerie Scimeca, Elgin Academy. Not pictured, Alyssa Gao, Batavia High School.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com