2019 NNHS CTE AWARDS

Leland’s dedication to both learning in general and deep understanding of Financial Accounting is exemplary. He is a quiet leader in class, extremely contentious and meticulous in his work. He is definitely a stand out for this award. Congratulations Leland!

This year’s Outstanding Business Law student of the year goes to Lauren Lesak. Lauren was challenged throughout the course to continually go above and beyond. Lauren responded and flourished through her efforts which ended up leading the crosstown mock trial team. The cooperating attorneys all agreed that she was a star and should receive recognition and praise for her poise and professionalism. On behalf of the attorneys and myself, we are proud to honor Lauren with this Business Law Student of the Year award.

The CTE Computer Science student of the year is Anne Foley. Anne has completed three years of computer science classes, excelling in all aspects of each. Last summer, Anne was an intern at Fermilab working on applying machine learning algorithms to optimize the scheduling of telescopes. This semester in Software Engineering, Anne is leading a group of three students on a related machine learning project focused on scheduling telescopes for the observation of cadence-based phenomena. Beyond the classroom, Anne is on the Huskie Robotics software team and applies her expertise to everything from the 3D spatial algorithm for the control system for a robotic arm to a state machine for automated alignment of the robot to a target. Congratulations Anne!

Congratulations to the CS Rookie of the Year, Nithilan Kalidoss. Nithilan took Computer Programming 1 and 2 this year as a Freshman and exceeded all expectations. He consistently seeks out new opportunities to improve his computer science knowledge and skills, both inside and outside the classroom. Inside the classroom, he regularly takes his lab assignments above and beyond the requirements. He has also done a great job of working with and encouraging other students in class to push themselves. Outside of the classroom, he is involved with Computer Science Club and Robotics. Through Computer Science Club he has sought out unique opportunities, such as participating in the 2019 NIU Huskie Hack-a-thon. In robotics, he has been integral to developing a robot scouting web app for our software strategy sub-team. For all of the above reasons, Nithilan embodies what a rookie computer science student at NNHS should be.

Haley Cush is our standout for this award. She is creative, intuitive, a leader, problem solver and a role model for other students. In regard to business acumen, she has the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions under pressure, and will jump in to help others at a moments notice. Congratulations Haley! Well deserved.

Edward has been chosen as the DECA Student of the Year because of all of phenomenal things he does for our organization. Edward is one of our most outstanding board members and serves as a State “iConnect” representative. As a board member, he takes on responsibilities such as designing our t-shirts and jackets as well as submitting designs to DECA State. He is always present as a major contributor in the leadership of our organization. As an “iConnect” representative, Edward keeps our chapter and school visible and well connected both professionally and socially with other area chapters and the state. Edward was directly responsible for our chapter’s recent award at state for achieving the Gold Status “iConnect” Award. Edward has followed in the footsteps of his sister, Jeffanie as one of our most outstanding DECA officers.

Anahita is being awarded the BPA Student of the Year because of her service and commitment to Naperville North’s BPA Chapter. Anahita has been a member of BPA since her freshman year. She has excelled each year at competition at the area and state levels and qualified for national competition. I can always count on Anahita’s devotion to our chapter and interest in business which helps inspire our members to succeed. Anahita is a natural leader and a role-model for the members of BPA. Congratulations on a job well done!

Mona is a driven individual that is eager to start her own business. She is always asking questions relevant to her idea and constantly networking with individuals outside of class in order to make her business a reality. In addition she has learned from the ups and downs of attempting to start a business. Lastly, she has improved on in her ability to work with others and developed some excellent soft skills in the class. Kevin has taken a lot of steps in creating a business with his team. During these steps he also learned from every experience. He has been able to capitalize on his strengths and motivate the individuals on his team to utilize their strengths as well! Kevin has also learned how to work effectively in a team and be a leader. He also does an excellent job working with outside resources to grow his business.

Jake has taken numerous business classes for his future college experience and potential career in business. He has been a member of DECA for the past 3 years and recently qualified to compete at the International Career Development Competition in Marketing Management. Jake has been a role model for other members and students in his classes. He is positive, helpful, a team player, and has exemplary knowledge of business. Jake is a student with strong character traits such as integrity, honesty, loyalty, and other important virtues that promote exceptional behavior and work habits. We are proud to award Jake as our Business Student of the Year. Congratulations Jake!

The Huskie Preschoolers were so lucky to have had Claire as a teacher this past year! Claire has taken Early Childhood 1 and 2 this school year at Naperville North. She continues to impress me every day with her teaching, lesson planning, and organizational skills. Claire demonstrates great passion when she is interacting with her preschool students. Claire will attend Michigan State University this fall to study Health Education with a minor in Special Education. She will be an exceptional teacher!

Halle stood out in interior design with her out of the box ideas, hard work, and general passion for the class. She never hesitated to help others, and was inspiring and prepared in her own projects and designs!

We are proud to present Stefanie with the Culinary Arts Student of the Year award. Stefanie is passionate in the field of culinary and Family and Consumer Sciences. She has taken Culinary Arts and Nutrition 1, 2, 3, Food Science and it has been wonderful to see her grow throughout the years in this field. She is creative, detail oriented, inclusive, helpful and thinks outside of the box. Congratulations Stefanie, we are looking forward to seeing your bright future in Family and Consumer Sciences.

Alex has been chosen as this year’s Health Occupations Student of the Year. She already has a passion for the field of medicine and has truly made the most out of her experience in the program. She is very reflective on her rotation experiences and expresses herself in an incredibly professional manner, both in how she speaks and how she carries herself. Alex plans to attend UNC at Chapel Hill in the fall to major in neuroscience. We are so confident that Alex will be extremely successful in all she does and can’t wait to follow her accomplishments!

Katie has taken both Introduction to Teaching 1 and 2. She has always been more reserved in class but very diligent in her work. This semester however, Katie has really come alive in her intern site classroom. Watching her teach in the kindergarten classroom is amazing. The energy and excitement that she exudes is wonderful and you can really tell she “fits” the role of a great teacher. Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning and that is exactly what Katie does.

Erin is extremely knowledgeable and diversified in the area of Family and Consumer Sciences. She has taken Culinary Arts 1 & 2, Senior Foods, Early Childhood Education 1 & 2, and Introduction to Teaching 1 & 2. She has impressed us with her passion for the subject, and her leadership skills make her stand out above her peers. We are happy to award Erin with FACS Student of the Year.

Sipu Li is a student that has had the biggest growth out of any student I have had in a long time. Automotive Technology is a very technical course. Because of that, Sipu had to understand technical terms relative to automotive industry. Sipu has become a leader. For example, he is able to excel in his coursework and independent projects assigned to him. Sipu is this year’s Automotive Student of the Year.

Angel is a leader in his class and continues to be a positive role model to younger auto students. He is also vice president of the Auto Club. Angel has left his mark on the shop with his hard work and always trying to make those around him better. Angel is a leader that encourages his peers through his selfless acts.

Amanda is always excited to be learning and prototyping projects in research and design. She would use the simplicity of simple machines to her group’s advantage to create one of a kind designs and ideas. She is a great team leader and excellent attention to detail.

Ryan is a student every teacher wants in class. He has excellent attention to detail when going from design to concept. He grasps content and thinks outside the box for his projects. Ryan is respected by his peers and teachers.

Sarah is the definition of hardworking, talented, and exceptional student and graphic artist. She has designed and created multiple projects for our school including: The 1Acts pamphlet and posters, Nintendo displays for senior day, and the CTE Breakfast Awards brochure you have today. Sarah is an excellent example of what is means to be a self directed learner.

Throughout the school year, Alexia has been dedicated to the agricultural education program at NNHS. Alexia is involved in several activities throughout the school and has never waivered on giving her best every day. She excels in her school work, has developed her own independent scientific research project, and served as the Vice-President for the NNHS FFA during the 2018-2019 school year. She shows dedication and commitment to leadership, academics and professionalism. Alexia is dependable, responsible and exhibits excellence both in and out of the classroom.

Tim has taken a variety of courses in TEE and was a unanimous decision for this award. Tim is polite, respectful and hardworking. He is always willing to help others, great team leader and goes above what is expected. He is creative in the shop and gains respect from his peers with his work ethic.

Brooke has an amazing ability to take her cognitive learning and through critical thinking apply her skill to treating “patients” in mock scenarios. She has mastered this to such an extent that she recently won first place in the EMT competition at the Future Healthcare Professionals HOSA State Leadership Conference. She will go on to represent Illinois at the International Leadership Conference of HOSA this summer, where we expect to see her do well. As a pupil Brooke is focused on mastering the material, and she often self-critiques her decisions and actions as she strives to be better and do better. As a team member Brooke is well-respected and she will assume a leadership position when working with and directing her squad. Her communication skills are remarkable and she is clear-headed and intentional. Another prized attribute of Brooke is her amiable personality and her genuine warmth and sense of calm which she carries and subsequently offers to her “patients.” Overall, Brooke possesses a remarkable blend of qualities, traits, skills and competency rarely seen demonstrated to such an extent in healthcare, and at such a young age. Indeed, Brooke will positively alter the lives and outcomes of her future patients. She is well deserving of the highest accolades.