As semester comes to a close, CCHS recognizes student work

    As winter break quickly approaches students at Coal City High School are wrapping up final projects and preparing for semester exams.
    The first semester officially comes to an end on Friday, Dec. 22, after three full days of exams. Students will return to class on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.
    In the first half of the school year, students took part in a number of activities from athletic contests to choral festivals and  marching band competitions.
    Several students were also recognized for their achievements in various activities over the past two months.
    Among them senior Nick Berta who was selected by the faculty and his classmates as the school’s recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizenship Award.
    Each year one member of the senior class is selected for the award that recognizes students who posses the qualities of leadership, service, dependability and patriotism.
    Berta, the son of Jason and Colleen Berta, is involved in a number of activities at Coal City High School where he serves as student body president. He is also involved in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and serves as state vice president for the Central Northern Area.
    In other student achievement noted during the Unit 1 Board of Education meeting on Dec. 6:
    • The work of five art students was selected for display in the annual Joliet Junior College Area High School Art Exhibition. The works of Madison Lander, Jessica Winslow, Leslie Youskevtch, Lexi Clarke and Emily Powers was on display in the college’s Laura A. Sprague Gallery earlier this month.
    The art department also sent five students to the Interstate Eight Art Workshop hosted at Seneca Township High School on Nov. 15. Attending were Teresa Humphrey, Clarke, Sydney Richards, Powers and Gianna Mance.
    • The school had 24 students participate in the annual Interstate Eight Choral Festival last month.
    Selected to participate were Courtney Allen, Miranda Ramirez, Gavyn Williams, Jon Englert, Lanie Sztapka, Jeremy Krizmanic, Adam Wren, Richard Bell, Ava Riley, Jenna Super, Ryan Rutkowski, Gavin Elrod, Kaylee Groves, Samantha Kenney, Luke Manietta, Gaby Schoeneck, Jada Mills, Hayleigh Roach, Rylee Endrst, Kelly VanderKarr, Haley Jenke, Dakota Englert, Nicole Combes and Dianna Sterba.
    • Four students—Bridget Kauzlaric, Lindsay Stopka, Madeline Tucker and Erica Forehand—attended the annual POPS conference in early November.
    • The Marching Coaler Band finished off its marching season with performances at Metamora and Downers Grove South.
    The band was awarded first place in the open class for percussion standstill performance and best percussion, as well as best auxiliary, best drum major and crowd pleaser and first place overall in class 4A at the Metamora Marching Band Invitational.
    • It was announced Nick Zuppa and Jacob Krug participated in and placed at the Local 597 Pipefitters Welding Contest. The students who are enrolled in the Grundy Area Vocational Center’s (GAVC) welding program took seventh and 12th place respectively.
    The program had eight students placing in the top 20, and the top two spots went to GAVC students.
    • Each month GAVC recognizes students with the Director’s Award and among those honored in October were Coal City students Gina Isberg, computer graphics and multimedia; Blake Adams, culinary arts, and Sadie Brewer, early childhood.
    Honored in November were Kyle Goad, computer graphics and multimedia design and Trevor McIntire, building trades.