Stevenson High School Class of 2022

Graduates in Class of 2022: 1,097

Graduation ceremony: Friday, May 27, at Now Arena in Hoffman Estates

Scriptor Speech: Aayush Dixit

Gubernator Speech: Stella Tapia Lopez

Senior class board: Jaden Varghese, president; Julia Chen, vice president; Tvishi Krishnakumar, vice president; Raghav Khosla, secretary; Abigail Tenner, communications director; Reps: Trevor Abbott, Chloe Calso, Kelly Cheung, Jiashu (Tom) Hong, Kellen McGowan, Andrew Wang, Catherine Wang.

Academic achievements:

• 511 students graduating with highest honors.

Extracurricular achievements:

• Both math teams were recently named finalists in two separate national competitions, which will take place over the coming weeks.

• The Science Olympiad Team successfully defended its State Championship title during a virtual competition of 51 high schools from across the state of Illinois. The Patriots have been the reigning state champions since 2019 and have held the title six times in the past 10 years.

• The Statesman usually writes the headlines, but earlier this month, Stevenson's award-winning news source, made some, winning its first-ever IHSA Journalism Sectional Championship. It also earned the top rating of Gold Certificate For Newspapers in the Annual Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association's Newspaper Contest.

• Varsity Winter Guard traveled to Naperville North High School to compete in the Midwest Championships and brought home first place out of 13 schools in its division.

• For the second time in three years, the Stevenson chess team said "Check Mate" just enough times at the state finals. The Patriots won the IHSA Chess State Championship, their second since 2020 and their third as a program overall. Stevenson first won the state chess championship in 2008.

Athletic achievements:

• Boys swim and dive team won its first IHSA State Championship.

• Capping off a dream season that included a string of 25 straight wins from late November through early February as well as an undefeated North Suburban Conference championship, the girls basketball team were crowned state champs this year. • The Stevenson Boys Hockey Team won the Illinois State Championship. It's the first state hockey championship in school history.

• Girls badminton team won the state championship, edging runner-up Fremd by just one-half point. The victory adds to the state championships for the program, which also claimed titles in 2012, 2017 and 2018.

• Senior Ella O'Neall nabbed the state's highest athletic honor for her performance in the shot put event.

Theater productions:

• Fall play - "Midsummer Night's Dream"

• Fall musical "SpongeBob the Musical"

• Winter play - "Ranked"

• Spring One Act plays

What challenges did the Class of 2022 face as they returned to in-person school full time, and how did they overcome them: The Class of 2022 had one more year of making memories before embarking on their postsecondary plans after graduation. They came together as a class to not only ensure they did well academically but in their co-curricular and community work as well. The latter point is made clear when you look at how much community outreach and fundraising they did this year:

• Give-A-Thon reached a peak of about 385 families helped in the past. This year, 402 families were helped by Give-A-Thon. The "Delivery Day" numbers on Give-A-Thon included hundreds of toys and bikes. Meanwhile, there were all sorts of essential supplies donated, including 350 boxes of food and 47 boxes of baby items. There were 80 boxes of diapers alone.

• Stevenson's two Best Buddies chapters (Best Buddies High School and Best Buddies Transition) collectively raised $5,630.64 for the Friendship Walk held at Soldier Field in Chicago over the weekend. Stevenson ranked as the second-highest school-affiliated fundraising team. The funds will go toward Best Buddies' mission of empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through one-to-one friendships, job programs, and housing.

• World's Fair was back and in person and not only exposed fairgoers to multiple cultures, but also contributed a generous donation to the Stevenson Foundation. The Diversity Council (DIVCO), which sponsored World's Fair, capped the event by presenting Linda Knapp of the Stevenson Foundation with a $10,000 check, proceeds from its food sales over the weekend.

• At Stevenson's annual St. Baldrick's Event, sponsored by the National Honor Society and held in the Wood Commons, participants and fundraisers collected approximately $14,000 for the foundation, which helps to find cures for childhood cancers. A total of 31 people shaved their heads.

Principal's reflections on the Class of 2022: Stevenson's Portrait of a Graduate begins to paint a picture of the kind of citizens we hope our students become: individuals who demonstrate a lifelong commitment to themselves, others and their learning. We are so proud of this class of graduates for all that they have achieved inside and outside of the classroom to make their learning journey a meaningful one that is focused - above all - on growth. There is no doubt in my mind that these Patriots will continue to contribute to their own lives and the lives of others as they begin this next chapter of their lives.

- Principal Troy Gobble