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Northwest Suburban Leadership Team Honorable Mentions, 2018-2019

Ayushi Balan

Fremd High School

Hometown: Palatine

Class: Senior

Parents: Dinesh and Meenakshi Balan

Sponsor: Theresa Christensen, English teacher

Community service: Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove Village, head volunteer at the East and West desks; co-president of student council, organized winter gala to benefit the American Heart Association; Alexian Brothers teen advisory board; volunteers with Schaumburg-based Feed My Starving Children; executive board member and head delegate of the Model United Nations team; editor of the Viking Logue school newspaper; founding member of the TedEd Club; National Honor Society

Amanda Behles

Prospect High School

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: Mike and Mary Behles

Sponsor: Timothy Wolowiec, special education teacher

Community service: Helped to establish Life of a Knight, a program that provides Prospect students with the information they need to be successful in every aspect of their life; visits Prospect's feeder middle school to promote Life of a Knight; has participated in Give Back Days by helping with a basketball clinic and cleaning up trash at a local park; Link leader, mentoring freshmen students; PADS, helping to set up the shelter at a local church; District 214 President's Student Advisory Council

Clare Brown

Willows Academy

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: David and Kristen Brown

Sponsor: Cammy Czarnik, assistant principal/dean

Community service: Willows Academy Service Club, service projects for the poor, the community, the elderly, and U.S. troops; class trustee, class president and Executive Student Council vice president; camp counselor at Camp Tuck Leadership Camp, working with middle school students; Our Lady of the Wayside Youth Ministry, CORE leader; National Honor Society, Service Club and Student Athletic Council

Vincent J. Carso

John Hersey High School

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: Nicolina Carso and Greg Carso

Sponsor: Eric Johnson, physics teacher

Community service: St. James Parish Youth Ministry Mission Team, has renovated and built housing for individuals in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, with Catholic Heart work camp; volunteers providing meals and cleanup for PADS; as a member Service Over Self Club book and toy drive; Special Olympics volunteer; as National Honor Society officer volunteers with various organization and fundraising events including a Gingerbread Build where the proceeds benefited Soldier Journey Home; Chess Club, Model UN, and varsity football

Catherine Chan

Wheeling High School

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: Richmond Chan and Han Fen Chan

Sponsor: Katherine Weber, science teacher

Community service: Student council president; provides music for Sunday Masses as choir cantor at St. Edna Catholic Church; National Honor Society; volunteers with Days for Girls and the Cloth Connection Outreach; Literacy Lab tutor; Relay For Life; District 214 Honors Orchestra; Chamber Orchestra

Jamie Rae Cuartero

Hoffman Estates High School

Hometown: Schaumburg

Class: Senior

Parents: Janet Cuartero and Raymunn Cuartero

Sponsor: Juan Medina, Art Department chairman

Community service: Technical production crew at Willow Creek Community Church, on the team that is in charge of the video broadcast during church programs; volunteers with Best Buddies; National Honor Society, Math Team, Thespians and the Social Studies Club; Scholastic Bowl; high school auditorium tech crew

Demi Becco Dumovich

Glenbard North High School

Hometown: Hanover Park

Class: Senior

Parents: Andrew Dumovich and Denise Becco

Sponsor: Kim Munro, counselor

Community service: Theatre Honor Society, head officer; St. Walter Bible Camp, crew leader/organizer; Civics Club, organized protest of gun violence; volunteered for political campaigns; School Board Student Liaison

Loretta (Lorie) K. Ewert

Buffalo Grove High School

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: Jennifer Spitz and Steven Ewert

Sponsor: Jamie Lala, special education teacher, case manager

Community service: Community Service Club executive leader; Peer Juror for three years; helped pack and deliver Thanksgiving meals to low-income families; volunteered with Community Threads, sorting clothing, books, jewelry, toys and decorations and helping store customers; volunteered with A-OK, helping seniors with home maintenance and yard work; Interact Community Service Club

Victoria Jozwiak

Carmel Catholic High School

Hometown: Lincolnshire

Class: Senior

Parents: Bob Jozwiak and Mary Jozwiak

Sponsor: Jack Waddle, social studies teacher

Community service: Church of St. Mary Vacation Bible School volunteer; special education volunteer at The Cove School; Student Council drives including blood drive, clothing drive, canned-food drive, Glass Slipper Project, and the Rice Bowl Tournament; Open House/Shadow Day volunteer

Amelia Lee

Stevenson High School

Lake County Leadership Team member

Hometown: Lincolnshire

Class: Senior

Parents: Rebecca Lee and Marc Lee

Sponsor: Dave Eddy, student activities coordinator

Community service: Student council Give-A-Thon; helped reform Transfer Buddies program for transfer students; Freshman Mentor program; National Honor Society; Classroom Without Walls trips to Indonesia and Malaysia

Anna Linscott

John Hersey High School

Hometown: Arlington Heights

Class: Senior

Parents: Rebecca and Brian Linscott

Sponsor: Samantha Frank, social science teacher

Community service: As a teen cantor serves as head of the Ecclesiastical Choir, helps lead baptisms and assists with preparation of the liturgy at St. James Catholic Church; counselor at Camp SOAR, working with special needs children; Religious Education Program at St. James one-on-one mentor to special-needs children; as Hersey's choir president, coordinates Spring Showcase and homecoming festivities; dance captain of show choir, Orchesis Dance Company, student council and Service Over Self Club

Kailey Mongoven

Willows Academy

Hometown: Des Plaines

Class: Senior

Parents: Daniel and Shawn Mongoven

Sponsor: Cammy Czarnik, assistant head of school

Community service: Student council, freshman and junior years; participated in the Concord Study Center Service Projects during summer break helping at women's centers, nursing homes, food pantries and more; plays basketball, soccer and runs cross county and serves as captain of the teams; Our Lady of the Wayside Vacation Bible School leader; counselor at Camp Tuck; Service Club, Board Games Club, Ecology Club, Pro-Life Club, Spanish Club and Ukulele Club

Sage Morton

Schaumburg High School

Hometown: Schaumburg

Class: Senior

Parents: Randall and Laura Morton

Sponsor: Joyce Mariano, Student Services department

Community service: Group leader with GEMS (Girls Engineering Math and Science); St. Walter Children's Choir assistant; demonstrates dance moves for children at Dorothy's Dancing Unlimited; Cultural Arts volunteer with the Schaumburg Park District, working backstage organizing closets and costumes and painting sets for a recent musical; Student Ambassador; Student Athletic Leadership Team, Music Ministry Masters, National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society

Karaminder Nijjar

James B. Conant High School

Hometown: Schaumburg

Class: Senior

Parents: Mandeep Nijjar

Sponsor: J.C. Brown, counselor

Community service: Works in the athletic training office during eighth period and after school preparing athletes for practice or games and assisting with injuries; works in the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Daisy Basket Gift Shop assisting customers and directing visitors; National Honor Society; as part of Conant High School PRIDE, conducted daily lessons with freshmen to help with their transition and success in high school

Maema Njongmeta

Stevenson High School

Hometown: Buffalo Grove

Class: Senior

Parents: Leo Njongmeta and Lynda Njongmeta

Sponsor: Zara Dittman, Freshman Mentor Program Coordinator

Community service: Freshman Mentor Program; Fostering Intercultural Respect and Empowerment (FIRE) Education and Advocacy; Boy Scouts of America, including Eagle project constructing four benches and two tables for Reed Turner forest preserve in Long Grove

Kevin Rendon

Wheeling High School

Hometown: Wheeling

Class: Senior

Parents: Juanita Nava

Sponsor: Diane Rawlinson, dance teacher

Community service: Worked as a production assistant for Dance For Life; volunteer teacher for Orchises Children's Workshop, teaching dance and helping to produce the show; peer mentor

Maria Sanchez-Perez

Elk Grove High School

Hometown: Des Plaines

Class: Senior

Parents: Martha Rocio Sanchez and Vicente Sanchez

Sponsor: Ricardo Castro, ELL and Spanish teacher

Community service: Volunteers with the Estudiantes Unidos mentoring program, which mentors junior high school students and helps serve other organization including Feed My Starving Children and a camp for underserved children. The mentoring program is also involved in school activities including Cinco de Mayo and the community Halloween party for children.

Nicole Schwan

Barrington High School

Hometown: Lake Barrington

Class: Senior

Parents: Michael and Vivian Schwan

Sponsor: Elizabeth Robbins, teacher

Community service: Helped organize and run a local Relay For Life American Cancer Society fundraiser; worked with special-needs peers as a student volunteer; active in Broncos Committed, a lifestyle that asks Barrington High School students to commit to a 100 percent drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle; fifth-grade Broncos Committed mentor in junior-senior year; Snowflake mentor for three years

Sean Seidl

Carmel Catholic High School

Lake County Leadership Team member

Hometown: Buffalo Grove

Class: Senior

Parents: Sandi and Chris Seidl

Sponsor: Michael Fitzgibbons, Campus Minister

Community service: Leading schoolwide charity events as president of the Social Justice Club; rector for Kairos Retreat; Leadership Intern at Camp Invention STEM camp for grade school students; group leader with St. Mary School Buffalo Grove Confirmation Program; serving and training others as an altar server at St. Mary Parish

Isha Shah

East Leyden High School

Hometown: Schiller Park

Class: Senior

Parents: Mayank and Sonal Shah

Sponsor: Alicia Funes, counselor

Community service: Worked as a refugee advocate, translating for and tutoring a Burmese refugee enrolled at East Leyden; assisted students with writing essays and with math as a peer tutor; served as an ACCESS mentor, planing and implementing team-building and educational activities for freshmen; library student volunteer; Pulse Club, Ecology Club, Anime Club and ExcELLence Club

Manushi Shah

Hoffman Estates High School

Hometown: Schaumburg

Class: Senior

Parents: Naimesh Shah and Dharna Shah

Sponsor: Thomas Magan, business teacher

Community service: As a volunteer at St. Alexius Medical Center, has collected more than 250 service hours; captain of varsity tennis team; board member of Interact, a Rotary-sponsored community service club and attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference; president of Business Professionals of America Parliamentary Team; executive producer of school musical; Math Team, Cultural Awareness Club, National Honor Society

Ashna S. Thomas

Maine West High School

Hometown: Des Plaines

Class: Senior

Parents: Siny and Pushpa Thomas

Sponsor: Maria Ward, interim principal

Community service: Volunteers at the Des Plaines Public Library as a student tutor and helps at other library activities including Cards for Hospitalized Kids and as a member of the Teen Advisory board; Catechism teacher, working with second-graders at St. Mary's Knanaya Church; works at the Kid's Pantry sorting donations and folding clothing; National Honor Society secretary; Student Activities Leadership Team, Indian Student Association and Key Club; Warrior Pride leader, COACH tutor and yearbook co-editor

Evan Waller

Palatine High School

Hometown: Palatine

Class: Senior

Parents: Jerome and Meaghan Waller

Sponsor: Richard Splitt, counselor

Community service: Student council executive board member; Pep Assembly master of ceremonies; member of the Student Imput Team, which will help select a new principal for the school; community volunteer with Palatine Assisting Through Hope at the Community Donation Closet; Principal's Advisory board, Business Professionals of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Spirit Patrol and Investing Club

Julia Ward

Elk Grove High School

Hometown: Des Plaines

Class: Senior

Parents: Agata Ward and Christopher Ward

Sponsor: Scott C. Deutsch, counselor

Community service: Summer intern at Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove Village, designing posters for drug and alcohol prevention messaging for Elk Grove High School and translating sixth- and seventh-grade Too Good for Drugs curriculum from English to Polish; participated in a 20-hour program of advanced studies designed for hands-on, innovative experiences in medicine through an internship with Doctor Rubin's Mini Medical School; attended a six-day leadership camp at Boston College; attended Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute, a five-day statewide youth leadership conference on leadership, healthy choices and community action planning; Best Buddies chapter president

Amanda Behles, Prospect High School
Clare Brown, Willows Academy
Vincent J. Carso, John Hersey High School
Catherine Chan, Wheeling High School
Jamie Rae Cuartero, Hoffman Estates High
Demi Becco Dumovich, Glenbard North
Loretta K. Ewert, Buffalo Grove High School
Victoria Jozwiak, Carmel Catholic High School
Amelia Lee, Stevenson High School
Anna Linscott, John Hersey High School
Kailey Mongoven, Willows Academy
Sage Morton, Schaumburg High School
Karaminder Nijjar, James B. Conant High School
Maema Njongmeta, Stevenson High School
Kevin Rendon, Wheeling High School
Maria Sanchez-Perez, Elk Grove High School
Nicole Schwan, Barrington High School
Sean Seidl, Carmel Catholic High School
Isha Shah, East Leyden High School
Manushi Shah, Hoffman Estates High School
Ashna S. Thomas, Maine West High School
Evan Waller, Palatine High School
Julia Ward, Elk Grove High School
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