May 14, 2024

Presidential Scholar

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education selects a small group of students as Presidential Scholars based on their academic excellence, leadership qualities, community service, and overall exceptional achievement.

These scholars are typically invited to Washington, D.C., for various events and ceremonies to celebrate their achievements. Being named a Presidential Scholar is among the highest honors for graduating high school seniors in the United States. Congratulations to Zuyu Liu '24 for this impressive recognition.

Class of 2024 National Merit Scholars

Each year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) awards scholarships to a select group of students based on their performance on this PSAT/NMSQT and other criteria, such as academic performance, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and teacher recommendations. Congratulations to the following IMSA seniors who were named 2024 National Merit Scholars:

Sreevardhan Atyam

Ishaan Buyyanapragada

Anirudh Chari

Marguerite DiMarco

Zuyu Liu

Aldo Magana

Claire O'Brien-Dull

Maitreyi Pandey

Jaejun Park

Aashima Singh Sisodia

Pranet Swain

Danica Sun

Spring Symposium for Emerging Scientists

Four students from the Drug Discovery SIR Course recently presented their research investigations at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) ePoster Spring Symposium for Emerging Scientists. The ABRCMS ePoster Spring Symposium for Emerging Scientists is a unique opportunity for high school, community college, and first-year undergraduate students to build their scientific presentation skills and receive feedback from science mentors. Congratulations to the following students:

Community Service Impact Awards

19 IMSA students have been recognized by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView in the seventh Annual Community Service Impact Awards. This program, open to all U.S. students, has been designed to connect student community service activities, skill development, and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world. Congratulations to the following students:

Learn more about the awardees here.

Badminton State Finals

Congratulations to the IMSA Badminton team for an amazing season! The team finished 9th at the IHSA State Finals and 2nd at the IHSA Sectionals.

Congratulations to Carissa Chen '25, who represented the Titans at the state tournament.

Sunday, May 19, 2024

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

B Wing and the IRC

Work with classmates and peer tutors to finish your end-of-year assignments and prepare for final exams. PAC will provide pizza!

Parents: If you want to donate to PAC's pizza order, please use the link below or send Zelle payments to Treasurer@IMSAPAC.org. 

Study Skills Workshop

Monday, May 20, 2024

S&E Period

Ac Pit

Prepare for finals with unique study skills, featuring IMSA School Counselor Emily Cotto and ADHD Coach and author Gloria Joy Sherrod.

Please note that Thursday, May 23, will be a regular schedule for all mods. There is no early dismissal for that day. Friday, May 24, will be a shortened schedule (12:35 p.m. dismissal) so students can attend the all-campus cookout and Senior Recognition Ceremony. 

FRIDAY, MAY 24 SCHEDULE

• 8:00 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. - Shortened mods (Early dismissal schedule.)
• 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - All-campus Cookout (Lexington's regular cafeteria will not be open for lunch.) All students should head to the south end of the building (near the sand volleyball courts) for lunch.
• 1:30 p.m. - Seniors should report to the auditorium for a senior class meeting
• 1:30 p.m. - All other students, faculty, and staff should report to the main gym
• 1:45 p.m. - Seniors process into the main gym for the recognition ceremony
• 3:00 p.m. - Residence halls open

Students will not be allowed to sign out on Friday until 3:00 p.m. 

AP Exams will take place from May 6-17. All students are expected to attend classes when they are not scheduled to take an AP Exam. To check which tests you are scheduled for, please check your MyAP Portal. If you wish to cancel an exam, please contact Reuel Abraham or Karen Gholson with the name of the test you'd like to cancel.

Some helpful reminders as you take your exams:

• Morning exams are from 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Afternoon exams are from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Plan ahead. Eat breakfast and/or lunch before your morning and afternoon exams. A bagged lunch will be provided if you take morning and afternoon exams.
• You must bring your IMSA ID, #2 Pencils (new mechanical pencils), and pens (black or blue ink only) to each exam.
• Bring a graphing calculator for Statistics and a scientific or graphing calculator for Chemistry. 
• Cell phones are not permitted in testing rooms.
• Parents/guardians must approve Mental Health Days (MHDs) of students taking AP exams that day. Students who take an MHD will not be allowed to sit for their AP exam that day.

Friday Fest

Thursday, May 23, 2024

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

The last Friday Fest of the year will be part of the CABabunga extravaganza! Food will be served outside the Main Gym on the south end of the building before the CABabunga party.

If parents are interested in participating in the Friday Fest Committee, or if you have questions about Friday Fest/CABabunga, there will be a Zoom Meeting on Wednesday, May 15, at 8:00 p.m.

Students were recently notified if they were admitted or waitpooled for the Class of 2027. As these students prepare to begin their time at IMSA, PAC is looking for IMSA parents/guardians who are willing to welcome these families into the IMSA community and answer questions about IMSA.

Please complete the form below if you can be a resource for Class of 2027 parents. If you have any questions, please contact PAC President Sonya Harrington at president@imsapac.org or Chief Student Affairs Officer Katie Berger at kberger@imsa.edu.

Senior Transition Education Program

May 22, 2024

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Auditorium

The event will include a class of 2023 panel, a financial wellness workshop, and swag!

This is a mandatory event for all seniors. Students who do not attend will not be allowed to go on the Six Flags of Great America Trip. 

College Decision Day

As the traditional deadline for declaring your postsecondary plans approaches, we understand that numerous colleges have extended their commitment deadlines to May 15, with some even pushing further to June 1. We are planning a school-wide celebration on May 24 in light of these changes. This event will honor all seniors, acknowledging your hard work and the decision you have made or are about to make.

More details will be shared in an upcoming Titan Tuesday and through Naviance. Let's all come together and make this a memorable celebration for all our incredible seniors as they embark on their futures!

Caps and Gowns

Students may wear up to two pre-approved graduation accessories. Any unapproved accessories must be removed or worn underneath graduation gowns during the procession, or the student will not be allowed to join the procession.

To maintain the formal nature of the ceremony, we ask that students refrain from decorating or altering their graduation caps.

Students who arrive with a decorated cap will be asked to purchase a blank one to join the procession. 

Tickets are not required for this event. We invite all family members to come and celebrate with our graduates. We ask that families review the prohibited items for the NIU Convocation Center.

Please look for additional details about graduation in the coming weeks, or contact the Principal's Office if you have any questions.

Service Hours

Please remember to log your service learning hours in HelperHelper and check in to make sure they are approved. Data transfers and email blasts will be sent out monthly until graduation. As a reminder, students who do not complete the graduation requirement for service learning, as stated here, will not receive their final transcripts until they have done so. All hours must be submitted and fully approved (present in PowerSchool) by May 21, 2024.

IRC Reminders and Deadlines

Thursday, May 23 - Last day to check out library materials

Friday, May 24 - All IRC items & Interlibrary Loans are due

Any incoming Interlibrary Loans will be IN IRC USE ONLY. Please arrange to return any library materials you no longer need, including those you may have left at home, as soon as possible. The sooner you return your IRC items (including interlibrary loan material), the smoother your checkout procedures will go.

Items returned after 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28 may be reflected in MySchoolBucks as IRC obligations.

You can view the items you have checked out by signing in to your library account (with your IMSA credentials). 

ATTENTION!

All students should complete the end-of-the-year tasks for ITS. Review their email for more details.

Summer is a great opportunity to pursue a personal passion and engage in enrichment experiences. I'm really pleased to share that we have placed 70 students in summer programs around the state working with a research professional. In addition to our drug discovery research seminar at IMSA, we have students working with scientists and engineers at WIU, SIU, UIC, KCFP, and DPI. Plenty of other students have found a mentor directly, and I'm really proud of them for taking the initiative to investigate a question in depth. For many, launching an SIR investigation for the next school year is an opportunity.

In addition, I know some students pursue enrichment in other ways, like summer camp programs and coursework at a local community college. I'm pleased to share that we have some scholarship funding available for rising Juniors and Seniors, thanks to the IMSA Fund (a charitable 501c3 organization). Priority will be given to students with financial need (paying fees on Tier 1 or Tier 2, and then Tier 3). Scholarships are estimated to be $500 for registration and/or textbooks. Additional money will be available if we have fewer than 24 applicants. We will pay the institution directly unless a parent/guardian has paid already and can share a receipt. Please apply by May 17 using this form. If you are interested in making this resource grow for more students, don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to make a charitable contribution to the IMSA Fund.

Please email me at eglazer@imsa.edu if you have thoughts on this topic or would like me to discuss it in a future Titan Tuesday.

DMG Mori Career Day

IMSA Alum Thomas Oberhardt '10 hosted 13 IMSA students at DMG Mori, where he works as an application engineer. DMG Mori is a global manufacturer of machine tools, and an industry leader that engages and educates the future workforce.  

Students learned about DMG Mori with an informational session and tour. They were counseled for career opportunities at DMG Mori and introduced to internship opportunities to gain real-world experience.  

Special thanks to John Roufis from DMG Mori and Thomas for hosting our students and answering their questions about opportunities after IMSA!

Medical Society at Rush Copley

Students from IMSA's Medical Society had the opportunity to visit Rush Copley Hospital last week. Students got to tour the facility, hear from medical professionals about potential career paths and cutting-edge research, and speak with a panel of hospital staff, including Rush Copley's President and CEO, John Diederich. Thank you to Mariana Martinez, Rush Copley's Community Health Outreach Coordinator, and Ms. Keck, IMSA's Learning Strategies Coordinator, for organizing this opportunity for our aspiring medical professionals!

Into the Earth With You

Last weekend, Dr. Leah Kind took students from the Modern Theater class to the McAnnich Arts Center at the College of DuPage for a performance of "Into the Earth With You" by the Buffalo Theater Ensemble. Students also had the opportunity to attend a special post-performance discussion with the director and cast, during which they asked several insightful questions. Thank you to the Principal's Office for sponsoring this fun and unique opportunity for our theater students!

The Black Alumni Association (BAA) would like to welcome the Class of 2024 into the growing alumni network. We invite all students from the IMSA community to participate in this celebration.

Students are requested to fill out the registration link with their post-IMSA plans, as well as provide a slide with their photo and hometown. We will acknowledge each student and gift them with an honor stole to be given by a person of their choosing. This person should be a member of the IMSA community (teacher, RC, staff member). 

The event continues with remarks from chosen student and faculty speakers along with words of encouragement from the BAA. The event closes with a catered reception and each student will be given a gift from the BAA.

Parents and friends are welcome and encouraged to attend and can RSVP using the guest link below. We ask that all RSVPs be completed by May 24, 2024.

Check out the new search engine from the Illinois of Gifted Children for local STEM enrichment opportunities for all ages. This search engine was developed by IMSA Senior, Michael Meng '25!

Titan To Go is a resource for students to discreetly order basic toiletries when they cannot replace them before a trip home. Students may select from the following items:



• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Toothpaste and Toothbrushes 
• Dental Floss 
• Deodorant 
• Menstrual products
• Hand soap 
• Body lotion 
• Facial tissues
• Lip balm  
• Contact lens cases

Requests are confidential and can be made by clicking on the button above. Requests received by 8:00 a.m. will be processed daily, Monday through Friday. You will pick up your items in a Smart Locker once you receive a notification that your package has been scanned in.

For more information, contact Michelle Bemis, Volunteer Coordinator for Titan To Go at mbemis@imsa.edu.

Mark Your Calendars! 

May 6 - May 16 - AP Exams

May 17 - Prom

May 20 - Therapy Dog Visit

May 22 - Center for AI Grand Opening

May 22 - STEP Program (required for all seniors)

May 23 - Friday Fest and CABabunga

May 24 - Community Cookout

May 24 - Senior Recognition Assembly and Senior Transition

May 27 - Memorial Day (Academy Closed)

May 29 - 31 - Final Exams

May 31 - Graduation Rehearsal and Senior Banquet

June 1 - Graduation

ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY



1500 Sullivan Rd., Aurora, IL 60506-1000 |  630.907.5000 |  imsa.edu

To ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific

minds that advance the human condition.