Student Achievement

2017-2018

Unity Point School

Awards and Recognition

Updated for May 2018

Egyptian Electric Cooperative Grant

James Lockhart applied and was awarded a $500 grant to receive Leveled Reader for his All Readers Project.  The books will be used to meet student leveled reading needs within in his class and the 3^rd grade classes.

Illinois Music Educators’ Association District

Nine students from Unity Point School were selected to participate in Illinois Music Educators’ Association District 6 Festival.  Students went through a rigorous audition process and were selected based on their performance in the area of Band, Junior Jazz Band, Orchestra, or Choir.  Performances were held on November 18, 2017.

Unity Point All-District Musicians
Band	Choir	Orchestra
Addy Garvey, clarinet (8)	Elaina Xiao, soprano	Irene Yoh, violin (8)
Theodore Martin, clarinet	Callie Vine, soprano	Jason Qin, cello
Michelle Wang, trombone	Nuraishah Mohamad Ali, alto
Esther Han, flute

Donors Choose Funding

Donors contributed $3,000 toward flexible seating and tables to be utilized within Ms. Feeman’s classroom.  Many parents within the classroom donated toward this project.   Ms. Feeman feels that this creates a positive learning environment within her classroom.  Student needs and learning styles are met through a designed classroom that offers choice and preferences for seating and collaboration.

4^th Grade Environmental Club

The 4th grade Environmental Club is doing a wonderful job of researching the South China Tiger to be able to educate others about the current state of this animal.  They have been busy making posters and presentations to share with the rest of the school.  They have raised the $55 required to "adopt" a tiger from the WWF (World Wildlife Fund).  The group mailed off their donation and have received a welcome packet (adoption certificate, stuffed animal, picture).   Update-Environmental Club raised a little over $400.00 at the Academic Night bake sale to donate to the Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary in St. Genevieve, Missouri.  We will take it to them when we take a tour of their sanctuary in May.

IGSMA Solo Ensemble District Contest

Unity Point had 72 entries this past Saturday, February 23 at the IGSMA Solo Ensemble District Contest.  The kids earned 22 First Superior Ratings, 41 First Ratings, and 9 Second Ratings!

The Strength of Community Contest

Various grade level students entered The Strength of Community Essay Contest.  The students were honored at a banquet on Sunday, February 25 where each of them read their essays.  The following students represented Unity Point:   Grace Park-8th grade, Russell McElveen-4th Grade, and Rylee McElveen-2nd Grade.  

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Division of Education has been reviewed by a panel of judges and awarded to Kristie Grimmer for $775.00.  The grant will pay for bus transportation and program fees for an approved field trip to Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Makanda.

Beta Club State Convention

The following students attended the state Beta Convention in Springfield and qualified for Nationals in Georgia:

Beth Davis - 1st Place Recyclable Art

                      2nd Place Special Talent

Addy Garvey - 1st Place Digital Art

Esther Han, Layal Oues, Grace Park, Andrea Saavedra - 1st Place Advertising Design

APRIL 2018 UPDATES

MATHCOUNTS Team

The Unity Point School MATHCOUNTS team won first place at the Egyptian Chapter and qualified for the State competition.  The team consists of five members: Nathaniel Gao, Jason Qin, Michelle Wang, Elaina Xiao, and Theodore Martin, on behalf of Unity Point School.

SCHOLAR BOWL TEAM

February 28th and March 1st

Regional Scholar Bowl Tournament

Marion, IL

The 8^th grade scholar bowl team competed in the 2018 Southern Illinois Junior High School Scholar Bowl Association Spring Tournament in Marion, IL.  There were 34 school from all over southern Illinois participated in this single elimination tournament.  Unity Point 8^th graders made it to the elite 8 round.  Their tournament path is as follows:

Round 1: Unity Point vs. Anna 140 to 135

Round 2: Unity Point vs. Eldorado 200 to 75

Round 3: Unity Point vs. Massac Co.  115 to 135

First Place: Carterville

Second Place: Massac Co.

Third Place: Murphysboro

Fourth Place: Christopher

Congratulations to Ms. Hilt and our 8^th grade scholar bowl team: Jacob Huffman, Joan Huh, Natalie Martin, Marta Narag, Auriel Prepejchal, Brooke Williard, and Irene Yoh

BUDDY BENCH

2G's Buddy Bench Initiative: After a Kelso's Choice lesson on inclusion, Mrs. Grimmer's class was inspired to create a buddy bench and held class meetings to introduce a buddy bench to the K-4 playground area. Miss Born brought us the news this week that Brehm students donated the bench. Now we are planning hallway posters and a video for Trojan report that shows/explains how to use the buddy bench. All 2nd graders are involved in the video coming soon....

STATE HISTORY FAIR QUALIFIERS

March 24, 2018

Southern Regional Illinois History Fair hosted by Southern Illinois University

Name(s)	Grade	Project Title	State Qualifier
Annabella Upton/Leah Radney	7	The Tri State Tornado of 1925 (Exhibit)	X
Michelle Wang/Zach Goodson	7	Ray Kroc (Documentary)	X
Nathaniel Gao	7	The Importance of the Liberty Party in Illinois (Website)	X
Elaina Xiao	7	The Cairo Civil Rights Movement (Website)	X
Brooke Williard	8	The Old Slave House (Exhibit)	X
Irene Yoh	8	The Labor Conditions of Centralia Coal Mine No. 5 (Exhibit)	X
Joan Huh	8	Julia Lathrop:  Kindness Never Wasted (Performance)	X
Andrea Saavedra Addy Garvey	8	The Lincoln Douglas Debates (Exhibit)	X
Natalie Martin	8	The Jane Collective (Documentary)	X
Alyvia Bergman	8	Charlie Birger (Documentary)	X
Bria Sisk	8	The Pullman Strike (Website)	X
Auriel Prepejchal Marta Narag	8	The Nazis in Skokie (Website)	X
12 of 21 projects were selected for the state competition to be held on May 3, 2018 in Springfield

STATE SCIENCE FAIR QUALIFIERS

March 6, 2018

Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) Region 8 Science Fair, SIU-C

Name	Grade	Category	State Qualifier	Award	Monetary Award Name
Kabeer Ahuja	8	Aerospace	X	Gold
Brooke Williard	8	C  Earth Science	X	Gold	Overall Excellence
Irene Yoh	8	Microbiology	X	Gold	Overall Excellence
Grace Park	8	Earth Science	X	Gold
Addy Garvey	8	Astronomy	X	Gold	O   Outstanding     Physical Science     Project
Esther Han	8	Mathematics		Silver
Rifal Alhumaid	8	Astronomy		Silver
Milla Croissier	8	Environmental Sci		Gold
Jason Qin	7	Physics	X	Gold	Outstanding      Physics Project
Lucy Chipman	7	Chemistry	X	Gold
Brenden Banz/      Zachary Goodson	7	Astronomy	X	Gold	Outstanding    Astronomy Project
Nathaniel Gao	7	Microbiology	X	Gold	Outstanding Project by a Boy Scout
Annabella Upton	7	Physics	X	Gold
Elaina Xiao	7	Microbiology	X	Gold	Outstanding Microbiology Project
J   Nuraishah      Mohamed Ali	7	Environmental Sci	X	Gold
Michelle Wang	7	Mathematics	X	Gold	Outstanding Mathematics  Project
Lydia Conder	7	Earth Science	X	Gold
Meagan Douthett	7	Botany	X	Gold	Outstanding Life Science Project
Callie Vine/       Alexandra Rhude	7	Botany		Gold
Teresa Castillon	7	Cell & Molecular      Biology		Gold
15 out of 20 projects (13 attending) were selected for the state competition to be      held on April 27-28, 2018 in Peoria, IL.

ILLINOIS PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATION

Student Recognition Dinner will be held at SIUC on April 24 to highlight the outstanding academic achievement and leadership qualities of two students selected by the administration. This year Unity Point will be proudly represented by:

Alex Brown—8^th Grade

Joan Huh—8^th Grade

3 v. 3 Soccer Tournament National Qualifiers

Ian Davis, Diego Flores, & Alex VanWinkle won the National 3 v. 3 soccer tournament in January.  They won 7 matches before winning the championship game. The trio from U.P. was joined by 3 other athletes from Anna & Carbondale.  The 6 played equal rotations, stayed positive, and demonstrated sportsmanship.  To qualify for the national tournament, teams have to win a local tournament and then they have to win a regional qualifier.  For our kids, their regional was in Tennessee. 

TEACHER RECOGNITION

Administration would like to congratulate Mr. Chris Midden.  The research he was working on for the US Forest Service at Blanchard Springs Cavern in Mountain View Arkansas was published.  The article was published in the Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science.  We are extremely proud of Mr. Midden’s contribution to the field of science.  

MAY 2018 UPDATES

Unity Point School raises $1,526.86 through St. Jude Math-A-Thon

Students at Unity Point School recently participated in the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® Math-A-Thon^® program and raised over $1,500 to help kids battling cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude, one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. The Unity Point community supported our students by making donations in honor of their participation in the program.   

There were 24 total students that participated, with 3^rd Grade raising the most ($598.50). Malachi Mayes in Ms. Feeman’s class raised the most with a total of $303.50!  Congratulations!

STATE TRACK QUALIFIER

A big UP congratulations to Madyson Swope.  She  qualified for the State track meet in the field of Discus.

ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY GRANT

Unity Point has been awarded a library grant from the Secretary of State's Office.  The grant amount is $4,999.00 to support Collection Development.  The grant will be used to continue to provide a quality library service for our Unity Point students and families.  

ILLINOIS HISTORY FAIR

Illinois State History Fair, Springfield, IL

Name(s)	Grade	Project Title	Award	Special Recognition
Joan Huh	8	Julia Lathrop:  Kindness Never Wasted (Individual Performance)	Superior	NHD Qualifier
Irene Yoh	8	Labor Conditions of Centralia Coal Mine No. 5 (Individual Exhibit)	Superior
Marta Narag Auriel Prepejchal	8	Nazis in Skokie (Group Website)	Superior
Zach Goodson Michelle Wang	7	Ray Kroc and McDonald’s (Group Documentary; New for our kids)	Superior

Elaina Xiao	7	The Cairo Civil Rights Movement (Individual Website)	Superior
Brooke Williard	8	The Old Slave House (Individual Exhibit)	Superior
Bria Sisk	8	The Pullman Strike of 1894 (Individual Website)	Superior
Leah Radney Annabella Upton	7	The Tri State Tornado of 1925 (Group Exhibit)	Superior
Alyvia Bergman	8	Charlie Birger:  The Notorious Gangster (Individual Documentary; new for our kids)	Excellent
Addy Garvey Andrea Saavedra	8	The 1858 Senatorial Debates of Lincoln and Douglas (Group Exhibit)	Excellent
Natalie Martin	8	The Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation (Individual Documentary)	Excellent
Nathaniel Gao	7	The Importance of the Liberty Party (Individual Website)	Excellent
Unity Point was represented by 12 projects at the state competition. We had eight superior and four excellent rankings.  Joan Huh was one of two performances to be selected to represent Illinois at the NHD competition in College Park, MD. Since the 2012-2013 school year, we have had 79 state qualifying projects, 54 state superior winners, three statewide special recognition awards, and two NHD qualifying projects.  History Fair is under the direction of C. J. Buss

STATE IGSMA

Illinois Grade School Music Association State Competition

NAME	INSTRUMENT	AWARD
Lucy Chipman	Vocal Solo	II
Lucy Chipman	Piano	II
Lucy Chipman	French Horn	I
Annabella Upton	Clarinet	I
Callie Vine	Vocal Solo	I
Elaina Xiao	Vocal Solo	I
Callie Vine/Alexandria Rhude	Vocal Duet	I
Kabeer Ahuja	Flute	I
Natalie Martin	Flute	I
Sydney Davis	Violin	I
Xavier Goree	Voice Solo	I
Aubrianna Bergmann	Piano	I
Lydia Conder	Snare	I
Joan Huh	Clarinet	I
Daniel Tsung	Oboe	I
Skylar Moore	Piano	I
Jason Qin	Piano	I
Alexandria Rhude	Piano	I
Sydney Davis	Piano	I
Mattea Humphrey	Voice Solo	I
Amaiah Chaney	Voice Solo	I
Annabella Upton	Voice Solo	I
Kathryn Schart	Voice Solo	I
Jinason Qin	Clarinet	I
Addy Garvey	Clarinet	Superior
Nathaniel Gao	Vocal  Solo	Superior
Nathaniel Gao/Callie Vine	Vocal Duet	Superior
Kabeer Ahuja	Tenor Sax	Superior
Theodor Martin	Clarinet	Superior
Marta Narag	Voice Solo	Superior
Davionna Henry	Voice Solo	Superior
Sam Warne	Vocal Solo	Superior
Michelle Wang	Piano	Superior
Nuraishah Mohamad Ali/Elaina Xiao	Vocal Duet	Superior
Bill Xu	Piano Solo	Superior

Congrats to all the Unity Point student performers that did a wonderful job this past Saturday at the IGSMA State Solo Ensemble Contest!

Unity Point Performers walked away with 15 Superior Ratings, 22 First Ratings, and 2 Second Ratings!

STATE SCIENCE FAIR Illinois State Science Fair, Peoria, IL Name Grade Category State Qualifier Award Special Award Kabeer Ahuja 8 Aerospace X Bronze Addy Garvey 8 Astronomy X Gold Best in Category Irene Yoh 8 Earth Science X Gold Brooke Williard 8 Earth Science X Gold Environmental Engineering Geologists Award Brenden Banz/Zach Goodson 7 Astronomy X Gold   Meagan Douthett 7 Botany X Gold Nathaniel Gao 7 Microbiology X Gold Jason Qin 7 Physics X Gold Annabella Upton 7 Physics X Gold Elaina Xiao 7 Microbiology X Silver Nuraishah Mohamad Ali 7 Environmental Science X Silver Lucille Chipman 7 Chemistry X Gold Michelle Wang 7 Mathematics X Did not attend Lydia Conder 7 Earth Science X Did not attend Grace Park 8 Earth Science X Did not attend Unity Point entered 12 projects in the state competition. 9 of the 12 received Gold ratings.  One student captured a Best in Category award and one received a special award.  The Science Fair Competition is under the direction of Ms. Nicole Stoodley, Jr. High Science teacher.   TEACHER RECOGNITION CJ Buss and Kerry Glenn have been nominated as Teacher’s of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale.  Congratulations to both of these wonderful educators!   WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT AWARD Joan Huh is the winner of Women in Government Award for her performance of “Julia Lathrop: Kindness Never Wasted.”  This award is sponsored by the Judy Baar Topinka’s Foundation.  Joan’s performance was quite powerful!  Congratulation Joan!