Buffalo Grove senior awarded District 214 Arts Unlimited Award

Each year, the Richard W. Calisch Arts Unlimited Award is presented to a District 214 high school senior who best exemplifies creative excellence in the arts. This award is the district's way of honoring Calisch's spirited commitment to and support of the fine and performing arts program when he was a teacher in District 214.

This year's award recipient is recent Buffalo Grove High School graduate Lucie Greene. According to her teachers, Lucie has been an avid and visionary leader in the fine arts who continually pushes the boundaries of her visual expression.

From writing to theater to visual arts and music, Greene has demonstrated excellence, curiosity and a level of sophistication well beyond her years. She is four-year tech crew member at Buffalo Grove, where she is a scenic charge artist, lead set painter and a superior teacher of scenic art to younger students. People come to Buffalo Grove's plays just to see and touch the walls of art that Greene has created.

Greene is the principal clarinetist in Buffalo Grove's bands and orchestras, and named the most outstanding musician in the school's band. She regularly leads sectionals with her peers and has featured solos in performances. She also has been on the honor roll for eight semesters, a National Honor Society Member and has placed in several art shows, including winning first place at this year's Harper College Art Show in 2-Dimensional Art.

The honorable mentions from the district's five other schools include the following recent graduates:

• Elk Grove High School's Claire Glennon is an outstanding contributor to the school's speech, choral, drama and dance programs. Glennon has been cast as the lead in several school plays, variety shows and musicals, and has served as a soloist in a variety of choral performance groups. She has represented Elk Grove as a state qualifier in speech, and at statewide music conferences. She is a member of the school's Orchesis program and has contributed original poems to Elk Grove's literary magazine.

• John Hersey High School's Emelia Pascual is diversely talented and highly motivated, garnering recognition in music, theater, public speaking, art and creative writing. Pascual's breadth of talent makes her equally adept at musicals, comedies and dramas. She understands the nuances of text, experiments with multiple interpretations and always impresses with her adaptability. Her original poem was selected for the district's Arts Unlimited Anthology this year and she has twice won the People's Choice Award at the art competition held by Arlington Heights Arts Commission Frontier Days.

• Prospect High School's Alyssa O'Connell boasts an impressive resume filled with accomplishments; she is a speech champion at the regional and sectional levels dance captain of the show choir, a Madrigal performer and a four-year choir member. Her writing and speaking abilities have led to her success at local and state speech tournaments, where she has competed in events where she wrote her own scripts.

• Rolling Meadows High School's Philip Heck is a well-rounded artist who performs at an extremely high level, showing great maturity and enthusiasm in his acting, singing and instrumental playing. He is a four-year member of the Marching Mustangs, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, Pep Band, tech crew and the school's musicals. Heck is also featured soloist in both the Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble and a section leader of the Madrigals. Heck always puts the needs of ensemble over self, taking the time to mentor others and volunteer for roles to help out the ensemble.

• Wheeling High School's Victoria Guerrero's passion for leading, work ethic and deep love for the creative process has contributed to her success over the last four years. Guerrero is a member of the school's chamber choir, gospel choir, a cappella group, chamber and symphony orchestras. She has been cast in several ranging roles in musical and theater productions, including student director, and is a member of the District's Improv Comedy Sports team. Guerrero is always willing to help out when needed and is a consistently reliable, dependable and respectful professional.

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