Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Autistic teen Brendon Harrison alerted his mother to a burning humidifier around 1:20 a.m. Sunday, allowing his family to exit the home and prevent significant damage.
Communicating is sometimes difficult for 14-year-old Brendon Harrison, a Downers Grove South student who suffers from autism. Early Sunday morning, however, Brendon's bravery and quick thinking saved his family from a potentially life-threatening situation. Around 1:20 a.m.—while his parents, sister and dog were sound asleep in their rooms—Brendon was woken by the sound of crackling in the kitchen, which turned out to be the sounds of a burning humidifier. "He usually gets freaked out by loud noises like that, so I think he knew something was wrong downstairs," said Wendy Harrison, Brendon's mom. "He came to my room, and just kept yelling, 'Mom! Mom!'" Wendy said. "Initially I told him to go back to bed, because I was half-asleep myself. …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Jerron Wilbut, 19, and two other men were charged with felony robbery Thursday after an incident near Clarendon Hills, according to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office.
A former Downers Grove South basketball star and two other men were being held in DuPage County jail Friday on robbery charges, officials said. Jerron Wilbut, 19, of Willowbrook, Kelechukwu Akuba, 20, Romeoville, and Leverenzel Booth, 18, of Darien, were each being held in lieu of $10,000 bail following their arrests Thursday, according to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office. Officials said the men were planning to meet a juvenile acquaintance around 4 p.m. Thursday in an unincorporated area near 55th Street and Route 83 in Clarendon Hills. The men invited the youth into their car, and one of the men displayed what appeared to be a handgun before robbing the victim of money and property, authorities said. DuPage County Sheriff's …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Loukia Mastrodimos will assume the position of associate principal for staff and students at South High School on July 1.
Downers Grove South High School has named a new associate principal. Loukia Mastrodimos will assume the position of associate principal for staff and students at South High School on July 1. She will replace Georgia Hash, who will become the new associate principal for curriculum and instruction at the school. The District 99 Board of Education approved Mastrodimos’ appointment at its business meeting Monday night. For the past two years, Mastrodimos has served as assistant principal at Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn. Prior to that position, she worked at Downers Grove North High School, serving as department chair of the career and technical education department from 2006 to 2011. She has also worked as a teacher at York High …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Scottie Williams Jr., a DGS graduate and current running back at Elmhurst College, will serve as the keynote speaker of the event Thursday.
Students at Downers Grove South High School will hold an open house Thursday night to celebrate African-American culture and Black History Month. "Cultural CommUNITY Connections: A Celebration of African American Culture" will be held at 6:30 p.m. at South High, 1436 Norfolk Ave. Cake and coffee will be served; admission is free and the community is welcome to attend. Serving as the keynote speaker for the event is Scottie Williams Jr., a 2009 South High graduate and current running back at Elmhurst College. In November, Williams was named the winner of the 2012 Gagliardi Trophy for his outstanding football season. The award is often referred to as the “Heisman Trophy” of Division 3 teams. Williams was the first player from Illinois to …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Downers Grove South High School joined the latest online dance craze during an all-school spirit assembly Friday.
Move over, Gangam Style. There's a new dance craze in town. The body-shaking dance known as the Harlem Shake was invented in the '80s at a Harlem basketball game, but a song by the same name has given the dance new life in 2013. The song, created by DJ Baauer, has inspired thousands of viral videos on YouTube and Facebook, and now Downers Grove South is getting in on the action. During an all-school pep assembly Friday, hundreds of students—along with the school's Mustang mascot—rushed the gym floor and danced to the song's techno beat. The video was later posted to the school's Facebook page. NPR says 30 second fan videos like these are the reason why the “Harlem Shake” song is topping the Billboard chart. If you have your own video and …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The speech team at South High School placed second and North High placed fourth at the IHSA state meet Friday and Saturday.
It was a winning weekend for the speech teams at both District 99 high schools. Downers Grove South placed second and Downers Grove North placed fourth in the IHSA Individual Events Team State Championship at the speech state meet, held Friday and Saturday in Peoria. In addition, three students—Dan Leahy (South High), Natasha Prosek (South High) and Alex Buckley (North High)—were all crowned state champions in their individual events. South High Results South High’s team, led by head coach Nicole Carreno, captured second place in the state meet. Senior Dan Leahy was named state champion in Original Comedy, and also received third place in Prose Reading. Junior Natasha Prosek is state champion Humorous Interpretation. Three other students …
Monday, February 18, 2013
Emma Chaplin, Marjorie Fera and Ammar Kalimullah were selected from nearly 3.4 million students to compete for a spot in the 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
Three students from South High School in Downers Grove have been named candidates in the 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Emma Chaplin, Marjorie Fera and Ammar Kalimullah will compete with more than 3,000 students across the country for spots in prestigious program, which is one of the highest honors bestowed upon high school seniors. All three students received perfect scores on their ACT college entrance exams last year. READ: Four Downers Grove South Students Earn Perfect ACT Scores “Emma, Marjorie and Ammar are so well deserving of this prestigious nomination, and we are extremely proud of them,” South High School Principal Steve Bild said in a statement. “They are well-rounded students, exceeding both academically and in their…
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Darien native and Downers Grove South grad Mariah Pulice was sent home during Hollywood Week.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Students will take the stage at 7 p.m. Friday for “Reflections,” a show featuring poetry, rap and speeches.
Sixteen Downers Grove South students delve into black history Friday during the school’s annual black history presentation. “Reflections” is a celebration of black history, identity and culture, according to director Tiffany Rubin, who teaches English and theater at South High. “When the kids came in to audition this year, many of them had latched on to an idea or identity or figure. The idea behind ‘Reflections’ is that each student is reflecting on some aspect of their black identity and thinking critically about who they are and where they came from.” Rubin started the annual black history production four years ago after noticing that very few African-American students at South High were participating in the school’s theater program. …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Darien native and Downers Grove South grad Mariah Pulice was sent home during Hollywood Week.
If Mariah Pulice's sister has her way, we'll be seeing the Darien native back on American Idol next year. "You're coming back next year. I'm making you," her sister said on camera right after Pulice, a Downers Grove South graduate, was sent home early into the show Wednesday night. We unfortunately won't see her again this season. Pulice wowed judges with her audition of Let it Be and tale of battling anorexia. But in Hollywood Week, she was sent home after one performance. She said she was "antsy" before she sang, and she still seemed a bit nervous on stage. "There's a plan for everything, and this just wasn't it," she said on camera after being sent home. If you missed her audition, check it out here: American Idol Sends Downers …
gail ferraiolo
8:15 pm on Thursday, April 4, 2013
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