The 2014-2015 Northwest Suburban Leadership Team at the Avante Center, at Harper College in Palatine. In front, Dhivyaa Anandan, Palatine High School. Second row, from left: Zohra Sattar, Bartlett High School; Isabel Chan, Wheeling High School; Olivia Romano, St. Viator High School; Leena Khoury, Maine West High School. Back row: Allison Cochran, William Fremd High School; Christopher Napier, Schaumburg High School; Michael Einig, James B. Conant High School; Caitlin Nagle, John Hersey High School; Katherine Andraschko, Barrington High School.
Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
Zohra Sattar organized the Purple Crayon Project, which collects and donates school and art supplies to children living in domestic violence shelters. Margaret Andersen co-founded the KidsUganda Youth Board, which raised $50,000 to build a boys dormitory in that African country. Grace Watson tutors underprivileged children in Aurora. Korey Hughes is a Big Brother to young boys and is determined to make a career out of mentoring kids on the street.
Welcome to the 2014-15 Daily Herald Leadership Team, our annual honors for high school students who are making tremendous contributions to their communities, their schools, their churches and even the world.
Each year, the Daily Herald collects nominations from public and private high schools. The four teams and the honorable mentions demonstrate the astonishing accomplishments of students who, at very young ages, have made community service a part of their lives.
These are teenagers who not only participate in volunteer opportunities but lead them, and in some cases even create them.
There are four teams — the Northwest suburbs, DuPage County, Lake County and the Fox Valley. Each public and private high school could nominate two students, and the packet of information on each student included a student essay, a faculty letter of recommendation and an explanation of their volunteer work.
Read on, and prepare to be amazed.
2014-2015 Northwest Suburban Leadership Team
2014-2015 Lake County Leadership Team
Meet the 2014-15 Leadership Team judges
Lake County Leadership Team honorable mentions
Fox Valley Leadership Team honorable mentions
2014-2015 DuPage County Leadership Team
DuPage County Leadership Team honorable mentions
Northwest Suburban Leadership Team honorable mentions
2014-2015 Fox Valley Leadership Team
Meet the 2014-2015 Lake County Leadership Team. Front, from left: Catherine Frantz, Vernon Hills High School; Ashley Klauck, Warren Township High School; Genevieve Danial, Lake Zurich High School. Middle row, from left: Laura Bartusiak, Woodlands Academy; Daniella Feijoo, Mundelein High School; Devan Peplow, Carmel Catholic High School. Back row, from left: Logan Ejupi, Lake Zurich High School; Patrick Lyman, Carmel Catholic; Cassandra Isaacs, Libertyville High School. Not pictured: Margaret Andersen, Woodlands Academy.
Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
Meet the 2014-2015 Fox Valley Leadership Team, who posed in the Gail Borden Library in Elgin. In front, Erin Tevonian of Batavia High School. Second row, from left: Madison Taylor of Rosary High School and Courtney Reynolds, Geneva High School. Third row, from left: Cassie Kemmler, Elgin Academy; Ryan Stackhouse, St. Charles East High School and Hunter Sneed, Geneva High School. Back row, from left: Carter Dell, Central High School; Korey Hughes, Dundee-Crown High School; and Parth Patel, Huntley High School. Not pictures: Lindsey Vanden Bos of Westminster Christian High School.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
The 2014-2015 DuPage County Leadership Team in a group photo taken at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Front row, from left: Grace Watson, Naperville Central High School; Sofia Melgoza, St. Francis High School; Kati Young, Lisle Senior High School; Ayah Abdallah, College Preparatory School of America. Middle row, from left: Kayla Dunlea, St. Francis High School; Erin Gradle, Neuqua Valley High School; Sidney Jankauskas, Benet Academy. Back row, from left: Isabella Anastassoff, Hinsdale Central High School; Vasisht Narayan, Waubonsie Valley High School; Lauren Crowe, Glenbard West High School.
Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com