Outstanding Accounting Student of the Year


Elise Chao

Elise is an outstanding Accounting student who has rarely missed a point on any assessment. As a Senior next year, she will be taking Honors College Accounting to further her depth of knowledge. She has taken every opportunity to prepare herself for a career as an Accountant which she is sure to excel at. Elise chose to participate in a Student Leadership Academy during Institute Days when she did not have school. She also participated in an Accounting Job Shadow day on a different day off school. Elise helps her peers, is dedicated, and brilliant. All characteristics that earn her this award.

Outstanding Business Law Student of the Year


Shruti Baxi

Shruti was a leader among Business Law in our preparation for the Cross Town Mock Trial. Students would seek out Shruti’s expertise to rehearse a line of questioning or simply confirm other ideas. Shruti provided the closing argument for the defense in the Cross Town Mock Trial and needed to adjust continually throughout the trial to ensure every detail was covered by her teammates. Shruti delivered the closing argument with confidence and poise and conviction, which leaved little doubt in the jury’s mind as to which way they should vote at their deliberations. Best of luck to Shruti next year in college. I am sure Shruti will be great at whatever she chooses to do.

Outstanding Computer Science Student of the Year


James Zhu

This year’s computer science student of the year is James Zhu. James has excelled in computer science in his classwork, his extracurriculars, and his internship. James excelled in every aspect of AP Computer Science his sophomore year. Through his feedback and encouragement, the course has been improved. For example, we now use the de facto industry standard Github tool. James is an excellent teacher and he volunteers as a peer tutor that helps students with computer science at every opportunity. Even this year, he frequently visits my classroom during his free time and offers assistance to students.

James was an intern as part of Fermilab’s competitive QuarkNet program. He wrote firmware for the LArIAT experiment that calibrated the liquid-argon particle detectors. His mentor was sufficiently impressed that he offered James a continuing part-time job to continue firmware development. He has been a dedicated member of the Huskie Robotics team for the past four years; for the pasttwo years, he has been the software lead. He demonstrates his maturity and thoughtfulness as he navigates the reality of software development and accommodates ill-defined requirements, uncertainty, stress, and the need to learn new topics quickly. Congratulations James on being the Computer Science Student of the Year!

Outstanding Marketing Student of the Year


Amanda Backode

I am delighted to introduce this year’s Marketing Student of the Year, Amanda Backode. Amanda is an excellent marketing student who develops innovative marketing ideas and professional quality campaigns. Amanda is new to Naperville North, and new to Business courses, but she is a natural creative who quickly prioritizes client needs and diligently focuses her work to achieve the client’s goal. Amanda has not finalized her college or career plans yet, but there is no doubt that her attention to detail and soft spoken, but effective leadership will serve her well in any career she chooses. Congratulations Amanda!

Outstanding DECA Student of the Year


Connor Chong

Connor is a stellar nominee for this award for the following reasons. Connor is one of the most disciplined, intelligent, hard-working and accomplished students I have ever encountered. He commits himself to any course or activity he undertakes and works hard to improve his performance. I’ve known Connor for 3 years in the capacity of being his DECA Advisor (Association of Marketing Students). Connor has served our organization for the past 2 years on the DECA Executive Board in the capacity of vice-president and currently serves as president of our organization. Connor has proven himself to be an effective leader as he consistently works to help our members achieve their goals while systematically planning and organizing activities and projects for our chapter’s 82 members.

Connor is a self-confident young man with a true sense of honesty, sincerity and respect for authority as well as toward his peers. Connor is always seeking ways to help his friends and club members reach their potential which has added to his growth as a person. He is a true leader because he inspires others to do their best. When you speak to Connor, it is evident that he is a model of integrity, humility and good citizenship. In other areas, Connor is a busy young man with numerous scholastic achievements, extra-curricular and community service experiences that has only increased his growth as a person. I can truly say that Connor has grown in numerous ways but most noticeably maturity, leadership and his communication skills. Connor plans to attend UPenn and Wharton in the fall, majoring in engineering and business. Congratulations to you!

Outstanding Department Senior of the Year


Boston Sherer

Boston Sherer is an outstanding Business student. He consistently produced outstanding work in a variety of Business courses while at Naperville North including; Introduction to Business, Marketing, Accounting, and Honors College Accounting. Each Business teacher who taught Boston reflected on his work ethic, positive attitude, and friendly personality as key strengths that will serve him well in a future Business career. Boston will be attending Ohio University in the fall where he plans to major in Accounting.

Outstanding Culinary Arts Student of the Year


Samantha Straka

Samantha has taken Culinary 1, Culinary 2, Food Science and Marketing to prepare her for her culinary career. She is such a smiling joy to have in class, and she is going to do amazing in her post-graduation plans in the field of Food Production Management. She works well with others but is also a leader in her group, and has great ideas and enthusiasm every day. Congratulations Samantha.

Outstanding Early Childhood Education Student of the Year


Mary Claire Burkhardt

Mary Claire has gone above and beyond in the Early Childhood Education program here at Naperville North. Her passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter shines through her lesson planning, teaching strategies, and interaction with the children. Mary Claire will be attending Marquette Univeristy in the fall to study Elementary Education. It was a pleasure to guide her in her first steps towards her dream careerpath. She is on her way to becoming such an outstanding teacher one day! She will be greatly missed by all in our Huskie Preschool!

Outstanding Fashion Design and Merchandising Student of the Year


Abigail Brown & Katherine Ruddy

Abigail has taken Fashion Merchandising and is currently taking a Fashion Independent Study. Abigail has an excitement for the fashion industry that is infectious. She has creative ideas on how to present her knowledge and always goes above and beyond expectations. Her great attitude and positive outlook make her a pleasure to be around. Abigail will go far in any endeavor that she pursues!

Katherine has taken both Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising and is currently taking a Fashion Independent Study. Katherine has a passion for fashion. She is innovated and creative and thinks outside of the box. Her creativity is seen through the projects that she creates and the ideas that she shares. One of the many things that Katherine has done was to create a recap video of the New York Fashion trip that was unbelievable. She has the “it” factor that will help her go far!

Outstanding Interior Design Student of the Year


Celina Xu

I have had Celina in Interior Design as well as Independent Study Interior Design. Celina is only a junior, but impressed me with her passion for interior design and her self-directed learning on interior design projects. Celina also always wants to know how she can improve on her designs and ideas, and is eager for feedback. This is a trait I do not always see, and it is wonderful and will make her a great interior designer, or whatever she chooses to do after graduating. Celina has also competed in FCCLA Interior Design the past two years and done a phenomenal job.

Outstanding Health Occupations Student of the Year


Morgan Johannes

This student has stood out to us with her professionalism, active participation, insight and enthusiasm for learning and medicine. One instance that stands out to me of Morgan’s enthusiasm was during class, where we share our experiences from rotations. Morgan was able to thoroughly explain a procedure that she saw on a hospital rotation, and made it sound so fascinating that students wanted to know more about it. Morgan is also a leader during group assignments and projects, encouraging others to step out of their comfort zone. Morgan stands out to us and certainly deserves the Health Occupations Student of the Year Award..

Outstanding Intro to Teaching Student of the Year


Julia Dubnick

Julia has taken both Introduction to Teaching 1 and 2. What makes Julia stand out is the initiative she takes to go above and beyond. Julia showed great professionalism when working with her Cooperating Teacher at her teaching site by sending weekly emails outlining her plan for when she was on site. She also went out of her way to network with other teachers and make connections in the area that she is interested in teaching in which is Special Education. She was a great to her peers and a wonderful representation to the teaching program.

Outstanding Department Senior of the Year


Taylor Wilburn

We have had Taylor in almost every possible Family and Consumer Sciences class offered here. She has taken Food Science, Senior Food, Culinary 1, 2 Interior Design, Fashion Design and Parenting. She is so enthusiastic and fun to have in class. We feel like she has a passion for this subject area, and it shows when she is learning about the subject, perfecting her sewing techniques, cooking in the kitchens, or creating an interior design floor plan. Taylor’s enthusiasm will be appreciated wherever her career path takes her.

Outstanding Automotive Student of the Year


Patricia O’Brien Mitchell

Patricia was not only the 2nd female to complete the Automotive Program fully, but she was the only student I have allowed to enter TCD for their Auto Body Program, in my 11 years of running this program. She kicked butt over there and won Auto Body Student along with qualifying for State in SkillsUSA. She is an example for ALL students on how to make dreams in to goals and then make your goals reality. She got her diving certifications so she can one day do underwater welding. She is the 2016 Automotive Student of the Year.

2016 Automotive Legacy Winners


Zachary DiMatteo & Drake Kloog

Zach was a 3rd year student that had many ups and downs during his Autos career, but really came into his own this last semester. He grew tremendously from leaving as soon as he could to staying late daily and asking where he could help out. He became one of the guys that could be counted on to finish any work left for 8th hour. His easy going personality along with “manning up” if he made a mistake really demonstrates how far he has come and how much he will be missed next year. Thank you Zach for toughing it out and growing into the young man we all hoped you would become.

Drake was the only Senior elected as a group President this year. Drake also had some ups and downs in his career but came into his own these last 18 weeks. Drake stepped up with Zach to become my go to guys at the end of the day to help out wherever needed. These two guys would clean up any messes to redo a job before the end of the day for the customer to drive home at the end of the day. Drake has grown as a leader and has a bright future ahead of him. Thank you Drake.

Agriscience Student of the Year


Kayla Streeper

Kayla has been so involved in all aspects of the Agriscience program. She has taken every course available to her and is a member of the Horticulture Club and Animal Awareness Club. She has been actively involved in developing the greenhouse and preparing and running the plant sale. Kayla has done a fantastic job in caring for the garden courtyard and always has great suggestions for improvement. She also provides care and attention for the 13 classroom pets. Her outgoing demeanor is infectious and the other students feed off her energy. She is great at motivating her peers and keeping the class moving forward.

Outstanding Woods Student of the Year


Barry Cate

Barry Cate has been a student in the woods program for the past three years. During this time Barry has displayed great skill and a true eye for quality. His projects have become great examples of what can be achieved by having a vision and great set of skills. Barry Cate’s desire to learn and try new things have made him a great success in the shop and a aided in his craftsmanship. Congratulations to Barry Cate on being the 2016 woodworking student of the year!

Outstanding Research and Design Student of the Year


Daniel Emge & Rachel Yuan

Danny is extraordinary in his engineering skills; his math skills and scientific applications are excellent. He has mastered the technical skills of Inventor, the power woodworking tools and equipment; and applies them to his project He has mastered the technical skills of the Inventor, the Power Wood tools and equipment and applies them to his projects. He is very good at the interaction and instruction with his team mates and other students in the R and D class; he is a natural leader.

Rachel Yuan is an extraordinary student. She is excellent in her math, science, and creative writing skills when doing her projects or filling out project reports. She is very conscientious about working with her team mate and communicating her thoughts in completing the assignments.

Outstanding Graphic Arts Student of the Year


Amanda Leviante & Kiana Watson

Amanda is a talented artist who ha taken the full range of Graphic Arts Classes and always is looking for ways to improve her craft. She strives for perfection and has an eye for detail that drives her to create astonishing designs. She has a great feel for color and type and is always questioning if their was something she could have done better. Her winning designs for this years Fashion Show and CTE posters show a real ambition to succeed at her craft. Amanda has indicated she plans to pursue a study of Graphic Design in the fall at COD.

Kiana has taken a full range of Graphic Arts Classes and is currently on board as an independent study with Graphic Arts. I have watched her grow considerably as an artist and during her time in my classes she has been responsible for a number of successful outside projects including the Booster Trailer , School Christmas Cards, 2015 Fashion Show poster and other projects. She has a great sense of style and playfulness in her designs that lead people to become engaged. Kiana is a quite, resourceful artist who is always looking for new ways to approach a design and has indicated to me she plans to pursue a degree in Graphic Communication Management (The Business Side), Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Outstanding Department Senior of the Year


Trevor Limes

Trevor is a hardworking student, dedicated to learning by his curiosity of how things work, go together and function. Has excellent attention to detail when working on hands-on projects and assignments. It has been a great pleasure to have Trevor throughout his High School career.