Congratulations to the GBS Boy’s Water Polo Team on their Sectional Championship!

Congratulations on the Sectional Championship. The Boy's State Competition will occur May 22 - 23. GBS opens play on Friday, May 22nd at 4:30 pm. Our boys will be playing Lyons at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. If possible, please try to get to the game at least 30 - 45 minutes before game time, so that GBS fans can sit together. Good luck to the GBS Boy’s Water Polo Team!

Lisa Kivirist (Class of 1985) Named as Glenbrook South High School's 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner

Congratulations to the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner, Lisa Kivirist. Lisa embodies the growing “ecopreneuring” movement: innovative entrepreneurs who successfully blend business with an ecological concern to make the world a better place. Today a national leader in green business and sustainability issues, Ms. Kivirist credits her Glenbrook South and Glenview roots for sparking her passion for living a life filled with diversity, creativity and a dedication to innovative change.

“My Glenbrook South years gifted me with the opportunity to explore and challenge myself on multiple levels, always supported by top notch teachers, staff and resources,” Ms. Kivirist reflected. At GBS, Ms. Kivirist served as Student Council President, received the Parents’ Association Outstanding Senior Award and was in the first graduating class of the Glenbrook Academy of International Studies. “These strong roots gave me the confidence and commitment to follow my heart and values and realize I wasn’t one to fit into cookie-cutter career paths, leading me to the diversified range of entrepreneurial hats I wear today.”

Ms. Kivirist is co-author, with her husband, John Ivanko, of the award-winning business book, ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits. It is a compact, dynamic tool kit with a fresh approach to entrepreneurial thinking, blending passion for protecting and preserving the planet with small business pragmatics. The duo also co-authored Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life, capturing the American dream of farm living for contemporary times.

A distinguished W. K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Society Policy Fellow, Ms. Kivirist’s fellowship work focuses on capturing and promoting the story and economic vitality of female farmers and rural entrepreneurs. She directs the Rural Women’s Project, a venture of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. It is an innovative new initiative designed to raise the voice of women in agriculture and farm-based businesses by providing networking, training and support, aiming to increase media and public awareness issues of female farmers and rural entrepreneurs.

In addition to feature writing for publications such as Hobby Farm Home, Mother Earth News and Wisconsin Trails, Ms. Kivirist regularly blogs for Green Options and is a lead writer for Renewing the Countryside, a non-profit organization showcasing rural entrepreneurial and agricultural success stories. Ms. Kivirist is also the educational outreach director for Renewing the Countryside – Wisconsin, published in partnership with the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.

Ms. Kivirist and her family run the award-winning Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm in southwest Wisconsin, completely powered by renewable energy and recognized as one of the “Top Ten Eco-Destinations in North America.” Her culinary focus on organic, local and seasonal cuisine – with most ingredients traveling less than 100 feet from farm to B&B plates – earned recognition in publications from Vegetarian Times to Country Woman and inspired her cookbook, Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity. Ms. Kivirist shares her farm with her husband, their young son, a ten-kilowatt wind turbine and millions of ladybugs.

GLENBROOK SOUTH TELEVISON WINS SEVERAL STATE AWARDS

Congratulation to students in the Advanced Television Production Class for their outstanding showing at the Chicagoland Student Video Festival.

Mark Helenowski placed THIRD In the TALK SHOW category with his production of TITAN SPORTS.

Mark Helenowski and Kyle Paek, along with Paul Lebryk, placed SECOND in the DOCUMENTARY category with their feature "Behind the Mask.

Also placing SECOND were Matt Krueger for his news story on the Electric Car, and Vanessa Lilak for her LIVE TELEVISION DIRECTING of the Hip Hop Brothers act in this year’s variety show.

Glenbrook South also took several first place awards. Joanie Barry took FIRST PLACE in LIVE TELEVISION DIRECTING for her direction of "Ring Them Bells" from the variety show. Joanie was also the only student at the festival to receive perfect scores from all three judges. Good job, Joanie!

Two GBS comedy narrative films TIED for FIRST PLACE: "Banana Noir," co-directed by Matt Krueger and Andrew McCarthy, and "Evanston vs. the Wildkits -- the 2008 Homecoming Video", directed by Mark Helenowski.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gave Andrew McCarthy an honorable mention for his script of "Banana Noir." Also honored as co-writers of the script were Ryan Frohlich, Vaness Lilak and Dillon Waldron.

Finally, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gave Mark Helenowski and Kyle Paek FIRST PLACE in the Chicago Student Emmy Competition with their news feature story "A Second Life." They were honored Friday night at the Chicago Emmy Silver Circle Banquet held at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel.

It has been a great year for Glenbrook South Television. The Television and Film classes are taught by Mr. Mark Ferguson.

GBS Math Team Earns 12th in State

The Glenbrook South Math team earned a 12th place finish in this year’s state Math Competition.

Place Winners Include:

-The Junior/Senior 8 Person team of Jenny McGarrity, JiHee Lee, Dennis Moon, Henry Zhou, Michael Adamski, Andy Jeong, Michael Tarczon, and Fred Tye finished 2nd in state.

-The Junior/Senior 2 Person team of Andrew Jacobs and Michael Tarczon finished 2nd in state.

-On the Senior Individual test, Michael Tarczon finished fourth and Andrew Jacobs finished 2nd in state.

Congratulations to the GBS Math Team on another successful season.

GBS Student-To-Student Outreach Program "Bridges" the Gap Between Middle and High School

Over the past two weeks, Student-to-Student members have visited Springman, Attea, and Field Middle Schools as part of the club’s annual Bridge Program. Now in its ninth year, Bridge continues to be a huge success as it brings over 40 high school leaders into contact with over 500 eighth graders.

Spirits were high as each day of Bridge began with a fun group game involving trivia, cheering contests and dancing. Later, eleven senior leaders sat down for a panel discussion to talk about why and how they choose not to use drugs and alcohol. They shared some of their best high school memories and offered advice to the soon-to-be freshmen.
The day ended with breakout sessions in which eighth graders could get all their questions answered about the academic, extra-curricular and social worlds at GBS.
We’re proud of all the Student-to-Student members who are “bridging” the gap between middle school and high school and showing the next generation of GBS students that it is fun and rewarding to be drug- and alcohol-free at Glenbrook South.

GBS Boy's Gymnastics Wins Conference Championship

In their best effort of the year, the GBS Boy's Gymnastics team scored a season high of 142.9 and won the conference meet and conference title outright. GBS entered the meet in a three way tie for first place and won to come away with an undisputed first place.

Congratulations to the boys and to their coach, Mr. Steve Gale. We wish them well as they continue toward the state meet!

GBS Journalism Team - 6th in the State!

The Glenbrook South Journalism team, comprised of members of the yearbook and newspaper staffs, finished tied for 6th in the state of Illinois at the IHSA journalism competition on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston Friday, May 1.

Senior Corinne Chin won the state championship in Review Writing;
junior Alyssa Rooks took third in Newspaper Design;
senior Kelly Nelson and junior Jennifer McGarrity finished fifth in Yearbook Theme Development;
senior John Montesantos finished sixth in Newspaper Sports Writing.

Other team members who qualified for state were Najah Bhatty, Hannah Madans, and Anna Carlson.