Latest news with #UrbanaHighSchool
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Urbana High graduates 'slay the dragon' to finish high school
In a speech to her Urbana High School graduating classmates on Friday, Kaela Zamora compared completing high school to slaying the final boss of the video game 'Minecraft.' 'It was time to defeat our Ender Dragon, also known as our senior year,' Zamora told Urbana's graduates, all dressed in blue robes with white stoles. The Ender Dragon is an enemy that players can battle in 'Minecraft.' Urbana's graduates, she said, faced many challenges along the way. 'We unveiled our not-so-literal enchanted swords and plunged at this dragon,' she said. 'Slash after slash, we charged, attempting to avoid our worst tendencies: procrastination, cramming until 2 a.m. and scrolling on our phones.' Students in her class came into high school after the COVID-19 pandemic, while being further behind academically and needing to work past social awkwardness, she said. 'Then, somehow, we slayed the dragon, won the battle and successfully — or even just barely — finished high school,' Zamora said. Zamora plans to attend the University of Maryland to study economics. The graduation, held at Knott Arena at Mount St. Mary's University, was the school's 27th annual commencement ceremony, graduate William Knepper said in a speech to the class. Knepper was the class president. There were 475 graduates in the Class of 2025. Luc Lugez and Doyoon Seol played the national anthem on violins. The graduation also featured performances from the school's choir and band. 'Today is more than just a celebration,' graduate Daniel Solomon said in a speech. 'It's a moment that asks us to pause, take a breath and to really look at how far we've come.' High school was about 'stepping into our identity,' said Solomon, who plans to study aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland. 'Be yourself,' Solomon told his fellow graduates. Urbana Principal Donna Clabaugh encouraged her former students to seek the life they desire. 'Up until now, much of what you have done and determined for yourselves has been very limited, and that is what really changes when you leave this ceremony today,' Clabaugh said. 'That is simultaneously amazing and overwhelming, and it is rarely easy.' Graduate Owen Barkley said he felt great after the graduation. Though he will miss hanging out with his friends, he said he is excited for the future. Barkley said he was planning on getting a job in retail, with a goal of attending Frederick Community College and one day becoming a scientist. 'There are a lot of good people at Urbana,' graduate Megan Lawrence said, describing her school experience as good. Now, Lawrence is set to go to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to study elementary education. She said programs at Urbana allowed her to get experience teaching kids, and she wants to continue afterward. Her favorite time in school, she said, in her film studies class. 'I'm going to miss seeing my friends every day,' she said. Tristan Thompson said his favorite part of school was playing basketball. He plans on playing at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He said that 10 years from now, he wants to be 'living in my own house, with my wife, as a millionaire.' He added that he wants to play basketball professionally, too. 'Well, you know how I said Minecraft's end goal was just to defeat the Ender Dragon?' Zamora asked. 'That's just the tip of the iceberg.' Just like the game, she said, high school is about taking agency beyond defeating the final boss.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy.'
Apr. 23—URBANA — In the fall of 2022, two Urbana High School freshmen approached biology teacher Jeff Birdsley with an idea: They wanted to enter the Science Olympiad. And they wanted Birdsley as their coach. Birdsley's initial response: "What's that?' Because it wasn't a thing when I was a student." They explained it, and Birdsely said, "No." He had plenty on his plate already, with teaching and coaching Urbana's swim teams. "I just didn't have time." But within a few weeks, Birdsley stepped down from the boys' swim program, freeing up time for Science Olympiad. Good thing. After failing to qualify for the state finals the first year in 2023, Urbana finished 13th in '24. That set up one of the best finishes ever by an Urbana High School team in any activity: a second-place finish on April 12. Lisle High School won the competition. "We had a goal this year to place top five at state, thought that was realistic," Birdsley said. "The second-place finish was unexpected. Kind of a roller-coaster. When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy. The camaraderie was so fantastic." Urbana had six gold medalists in their events: * Colin Guth and Elliot Anderson, wind power. * Elliot Anderson and Natalie Pociask, helicopter. * Natalie Pociask and JJ Lee, materials science. * JJ Lee and Colin Guth, robot tour. * Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, entomology. Urbana's additional state medalists included: * Neha Bhargava and Mia Schroeder, optics. * Mia Schroeder and Natalie Pociask, forensics. * Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, bungee drop. The late-afternoon awards ceremony was held at historic Huff Hall. "It's just great for the culture at Urbana High School," Birdsley said, "Many thanks to my athletic director (Steve Waller) and principal (Jesse Guzman) for supporting us through this. They obviously know the value of having extra-curriculars." The second-place trophy will be going into the case at Urbana High School. And the final step to No. 1 seems like a good bet in 2026. Most of the team returns, including the core group of 11 freshmen who got the ball rolling back in '22. "I tell the kids, 'You absolutely have a chance to win a state championship next year,'" Birdsley said. Urbana competes in Division IA. Schools are seeded. Among the schools in Urbana's division were Palatine, Barrington, Urbana University High, Champaign Central and Centennial. Uni High finished fourth, and St. Thomas More finished in eighth place. "That marks the first time Urbana has ever come out ahead of Uni in the Science Olympiad," Birdsley said. "The kids were just as proud of that as the second-place finish." The stage The Science Olympiad is an annual state competition held on the University of Illinois campus. Teams of 15 students compete in 23 events. Every branch of science and engineering is represented: creating towers, bridges, helicopters, planes and ping-pong cannons on the building side. Most of the events are test-taking in various science disciplines. Fans and coaches were allowed to watch the building events. But the tests are students-only. To reach state, schools advance from a local competition. Urbana was at Parkland College this year, where it finished second and earned a spot in the state finals. Uni High won the local competition. It is a lot of work for the students. Nights and weekends. "Many, many, many hours of studying and preparing," Birdsley said. "They go home and make themselves experts on insects or build the best ping-pong air cannon that they could possibly build." The Urbana team had meetings before and after school, talking about goals. Looking ahead, the team will reconvene in September. A list of events for the 2026 Olympiad will be announced and the Tigers will start preparation. "I try to get kids into something they are going to get passionate about," Birdsley said. Background check Urbana had a Science Olympiad program in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are several regional trophies at the high school, but no state trophies. Until now. The school celebrated the accomplishments, with daily announcements the following week. Birdsley carried the trophy around the school. Birdsley has been a teacher at Urbana High School since 2020. He and his wife, Becky Fuller, who is on the UI faculty, have lived in Urbana for 20 years. Their son Sam is an Urbana High School graduate. Their daughter Cecelia has been a member of Science Olympiad from the start and is also an Urbana swimmer. This year, fellow Urbana High School biology teacher Alex Riley, a UI graduate, joined the team as a co-coach. His first year at the school was in 2023. "This was Alex's year to learn how Science Olympiad works and how to coach it," Birdsley said. "I'm still learning how to coach it." Birdsley and Riley welcome any student interested in participating.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Urbana high schoolers take part in Earth Day cleanup
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — High schoolers in Urbana celebrated Earth Day on Tuesday with a mass cleanup spearheaded by students themselves. Clean-up efforts focused on Blair and Carle Parks along with the area surrounding Urbana High School. Champaign's Eggstravaganza keeps Easter celebrations going Around 40 student volunteers led the initiative and walked the areas with garbage bags and trash grabbers. One student said cleaning up his community brings him a sense of pride. 'It's something that everyone can do, and it's just a little bit of work and it has such a big impact.' said sophomore Colin Guth. And now thanks to students at Urbana High School — their efforts are making their home just a little bit cleaner this Earth Day. 'It's really nice — like a community builder,' Guth said. 'There's not as many opportunities to do something like this, so it's really nice to come out here and do that with, first of all, people I know.' Students also improved the area surrounding their school not just by subtracting trash but also by adding art. They installed a 'peace pole' in the school garden. From the Farm: Science and Spirits 'This peace pole in particular really contains a lot of languages to represent our diverse community.' said Kanittha Fay. Fay is the Parent Teacher Student Association Director of Student Engagement. She said the pole was created by 50 to 60 ag and art students over the last year. 'We want to let everybody know that they're seen, they're heard and they are equal,' Fay said. 'This is what students got together and presented to the community.' Jennifer Ivory-Tatum is the Urbana Schools Superintendent. 'We really are pushing community pride and our students take pride in being or being Urbana Tigers,' Ivory-Tatum said. And she said it's because of that pride that students are leading the way for a better and cleaner tomorrow. 'And so, I think it says a lot that they show up,' Ivory-Tatum added. 'We've been out here in the rain before and cold, and today it's absolutely beautiful. But their commitment to service and to making our community better is really evident.' Organizers said they're looking forward to continuing the event again next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three new principals approved by Urbana School District 116
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Urbana School District 116 will welcome three new employees in principal positions this July. Parkland College welding lab evacuated due to smoke Tuesday evening, the school district's Board of Education unanimously approved the employment of the following administrators for the 2025-26 school year: Sean Smith Assistant Principal at Urbana High School effective July 1, 2025 (replacing Melissa Kearns) Derek Ely Associate Principal at Urbana Middle School effective July 1, 2025 (replacing Imani Carr) Lidiya Wang Principal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School tentatively effective July 23, 2025, pending approval of the 2025-26 school year calendar (replacing Michelle Turner) Smith graduated from Urbana High School in 2010 and started his career in education as a paraprofessional at Jefferson Middle School in 2017. He earned a master's degree in special education and transitioned to Edison Middle School as a special education teacher in 2019. In 2023, Smith became the Dean of Students and Athletic Director at Edison. He then began his role as Associate Principal there and earned a master's degree in educational leadership in 2024. AgTech Week underway in Champaign-Urbana Ely currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Champaign Central High School. He previously served as the Dean of Students at Champaign Central and as a physical education and health teacher at the READY Program school in Champaign. Wang previously served as the Principal of the Pavilion Foundation School for three years. Before that, she was an Assistant Principal at Circle Academy in Urbana. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Six yellow food safety alerts posted in Champaign Co. this week
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill (WCIA) — Five restaurants in Champaign County — and one school — received yellow food safety alerts within the last seven days. An inspector found seven risk factor/ intervention violations and two repeat risk factor/ intervention violations at Urbana High School on Feb. 20. Champaign Park District updating park, sports amenity hours For the third inspection in a row, multiple food items were not held at the proper temperature. In the salad bar, the cooked peas, cooked broccoli, sauteed mushrooms and marinated hard-boiled eggs were all held at temperatures higher 41°F, and the salad bar is condemned for use. The inspector also found that a garlic parmesan sauce (which was labeled refrigerate after opening) was sitting out, at a temperature of 76.1°F and a pizza sauce inside the walk-in cooler was at a temperature of 49.1°F. Both sauces were discarded. The health inspector also found that for the second time in a row, a worker did not wash their hands before returning to work. The worker came to the noodle station from her office, did not wash her hands, and then touched pans with salad inside them. Other issues the health inspector found included foods not being held at hot enough temperatures (tater tots, pepperoni pizza, ramen noodles and chicken nuggets were all found under the mandated temperature), chickpeas, and deli ham and turkey were held more than seven days, and the person in charge was not certified as a food protection manager. A follow-up inspection will be done in 5-7 businesses days to ensure the violations were corrected. Feeding Champaign Co. Food Summit aims to help 26K people who are food insecure Aspen Tap House in Champaign received a yellow placard on Feb. 21. Last month, Aspen Tap House had a routine inspection. The restaurant received a green placard after their inspection, but was issued a Violation Correction Form to be completed within a month. At the follow up inspection on Feb. 21, the inspector found that the restaurant had not completed the Violation Correction Form. Now, they have 10 business days to complete the form. And, Aspen Tap House may face permit suspension if the form goes unfulfilled after the 10th business day. The Steak 'n Shake located at 1709 S. Neil Street in Champaign also received a yellow placard on Feb. 21, due to a follow-up inspection. Last month, the health inspector found that the person in charge was not a Certified FOOD Protection Manager (CFPM). A Violation Correction Form was issued for proof that the CFPM exam was completed during that last inspection. Student-run business gives U of I a new way to capture memories But, on Feb. 21, the restaurant still had not completed the form and a yellow placard was posted. Steak n' Shake has 10 business days to make the corrective actions or the health permit may be suspended until corrections have been made. In Rantoul, a health inspector found multiple violations at Puerta del Sol, earning the restaurant a yellow food safety alert on Feb. 24. Puerta del Sol had six risk factor/ intervention violations and three repeat risk factor/ intervention violations. For the third time in a row, an inspector found that raw, unpasteurized eggs were stored above ready-to-eat food in a walk-in cooler. For the second inspection in a row, the health inspector found moldy jalapeno peppers in a box of bulk peppers, and food items such as hot dogs, salsa, cooked and cooled rice, tamales and milk were held longer than 24 hours and were not labeled with a date. Two Champaign middle schools recognized for their improvement Other issues the inspector found included a spray can of degreaser stored above single service plastic wrap on the wire rack near the prep sink and the hand sink near the soda machine only reached a maximum temperature of 57°F (required to reach (85°F). A follow-up inspection will be done in 5-7 businesses days to ensure the violation was corrected. Asian Bowl Express in Rantoul, located at 715 W. Champaign Ave., also received a yellow food safety alert on Feb. 25. The health inspector found six risk factor/intervention violations and two repeat risk factor/intervention violations. For the third time in a row, the inspector found raw food stored near ready to eat foods. Raw shrimp was stored above raw vegetables in the cook line cooler, and raw chicken and beef were stored above rice noodles and opened containers of soybean paste. All of the raw foods were moved so that they were not directly above the ready to eat food. Also for the third consecutive time, Asian Bowl Express held several items longer and 24 hours without labeling their date. This included cut cantaloupe, cut honey dew, cut tofu, and shredded cheese. Other issues the inspector found included, the person in charge was not a Certified as a FOOD Protection Manager (CFPM), an uncovered container of sauce on the floor in the back storage area, and food stored directly on the floor of the walk-in cooler. Urbana City Council approves agreements for Dutch Bros, two other new, expanded businesses A follow-up inspection will be done in 5-7 businesses days to ensure the violation was corrected. The Culver's, located at 903 W. Marketview Drive in Champaign, received a yellow food safety alert on Feb. 26. The health inspector found four risk factor/intervention violations and one repeat risk factor/intervention violation. For the third inspection in a row, an employee had an issue with handwashing regulations. At the beginning of the inspection, an employee picked gloves from the sink of the handwashing station. They put on two of the gloves and discarded the remaining gloves. The health inspector report said there was 'no handwashing after contaminating hands.' The health inspector also saw an employee touched another employee with gloved hands, touched their apron, and then started touching buns. Other issues the inspector noted was employees washing their hands with cold water, ice dripping in an open box of pork tenderloin patties inside the walk-in freezer (the patties did not have any protective plastic covering), and there was ice condensation under the refrigeration unit of the walk-in freezer, 'indicating leakage.' A follow-up inspection will be done in 5-7 businesses days to ensure the violation was corrected. To see other restaurant inspections in Champaign County, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
