U-46 board honors students for state contest wins
The Elgin Area School District U-46 school board Monday night recognized 12 students for earning first place in several statewide competitions - the SkillsUSA Illinois Championship, the Illinois Science Olympiad, and the Illinois High School Association state journalism finals.
South Elgin High School seniors Hailey Harden, Dylan Loerwald and Brian Kulpa and Streamwood High School seniors Jacob Pierce and Andrew Pfeifer captured first place last month in a statewide manufacturing competition sponsored by SkillsUSA, a school-industry partnership group promoting job skills training.
Each competition was designed to test students' knowledge and ability using CNC (computer numerical control) machines and other manufacturing technologies. It comprised multiple skills tests lasting four to six hours.
Harden won in the CNC (computer numerical control) turning category, Loerwald in CNC milling, Kulpa in CNC technician, and Pierce and Pfeifer in additive manufacturing. The students earned a June trip to Louisville, Kentucky, where they will represent Illinois at the SkillsUSA national competition.
South Elgin students Michael Solomon and Zach Meyer and Streamwood student Christopher Piotrowski finished in second, third, and fifth place, respectively, in the CNC milling competition. Streamwood students Angel Acosta, Juan Ayala and Aditya Patel finished third place in the team-based automated manufacturing technology.
"Their achievements are tangible proof that our precision manufacturing program sets up students for success," said Russ Bartz, South Elgin High manufacturing teacher.
Six middle school students also were honored Monday for earning first place in the Illinois Science Olympiad in April.
Science Olympiad is a before- or after-school enrichment program covering areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Abbott Middle School in Elgin placed fourth overall in its division. Its team comprising 23 students earned 10 medals at the state competition. Eighth-graders Nolan Chansophy and Joshua Dinh earned first place in "Disease Detective" and Jesse Dinh and Kate Gillespie placed first in water quality.
Eastview Middle School in Bartlett placed 10th overall in its division. The team of 21 students received six medals. Eighth-graders Patricia Savioa-Cooley and Jazib Ahmed earned first place in the roller coaster competition. A team of 12 students from Canton Middle School in Streamwood won five medals at the state competition, placing 15th in its division.
"I am so proud of our Science Olympiad teams and grateful for the dedication of each team's coaches, students, and parents," said Deb McMullen, U-46's coordinator of K-12 science and planetarium. "Science Olympiad provides students with valuable STEM experience that allows them to explore their interests and prepares them for a career in STEM."
South Elgin High junior Sarah Richardson, a student in the Beacon Academy of Media and Digital Arts, was honored for winning the broadcast news category at the IHSA state journalism competition last month. It marks the second time the school won a state championship for broadcast news.
Also, South Elgin junior Derryl Barnes Jr. and senior Samantha Prus earned fourth place in video news, and junior Mia Ackermann placed fifth in newspaper design. South Elgin's team placed 11th out of 70 schools competing.