Feast of St. Francis

                                                      

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Do you have any children in grade school or do you know any students looking for a great high school?  We invite you and your friends to attend our next Open House for prospective students on Wednesday, November 16. 

The Open House will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. with a presentation in our Kuhn Cultural Arts Center. Following the presentation are opportunities for guests to learn more about our academic departments and co-curricular activities, as well as tour our facilities.  Faculty, staff, coaches, current parents and students will be available to answer questions and speak about their St. Francis High School experiences.  We are looking forward to meeting many future Spartans and their families!

 

Standing (L to R):  Ellen Anton (English III), Pam Kiefer (School Nurse), Susan Marchese (Spanish I & II), Tom Juliano (Physics), Tom Sandlund (Mathematics), Maureen Isphording (Director of Admissions), Ashley Swanson (Mathematics); Sitting (L to R):  Joe Duffy (Economics & Business), Joe Lepsche (Physical Education & Football Coach), Dan Holleman (Dean of Students & Intro to Computers), Dan Page (Psychology & US History); Not Pictured: Becky Fischesser (Coordinator of Alumni Events)

This fall has been a busy time for Alumni!

Thank you to all who attended, sponsored and volunteered at the Alumni Golf Outing on October 7 at Prairie Landing Golf Course in West Chicago.  Congratulations to this year's winners:  Joe Flynn '89, Chris Hyland '88, Mike Cambell and John Dziewiatkowski (golf foursome), Ann Murray '73 Harazin and Brian Denny '84 (trips to Las Vegas), Michael Fitzgerald '69, Colin Marshall '10, Joe Flynn '89, Dennis Beck '74 and Charlie Melka '81 (cash), Chris Hyland '88, Nick Zagotta '97 and Justin Nieting '03 (Bulls tickets), Bobbi Bergeron '62 Aschauer (patio fountain), Mike Carbery (Peach Carr '78 purse), Tim Morso '03, Debbie Russo, Maribeth Treis '77 Kerr and Mark Sawko '75 (gift cards).  For a complete list of this year's sponsors, click here:  Golf Outing Sponsors.

Oktoberfest, on October 15, was a quaint gathering of alumni who came back to SFHS to celebrate at an all-school reunion.  It began with Mass in the Chapel, followed by the awarding of this year's Distinguished Alumni and then a dinner and reception in the atrium.  Thanks to everyone who helped plan this event.

It was exciting to see all of the alumni who attended their reunions this year:  the Class of 1966 celebrated 50 years with a tour of the school followed by a party at Village Links (Glen Ellyn); the Class of 1976 celebrated 40 years with a tour of the school and a homecoming tailgate, followed by a gathering at Klein Creek (Winfield) the next day; the Class of 1991 celebrated 25 years by gathering at Even Flow (Geneva); the Class of 1996 celebrated 20 years with the All-School Reunion/Oktoberfest; and the Class of 2006 celebrated 10 years at Barocina (Chicago).  We hope more alumni will come back to visit and reconnect each year!

 

Distinguished Alumni

Congratulations to Ray Reid '61 and Joe Buchholz '84 who were selected as this year's Distinguished Alumni.

Ray Reid '61 is a retired investment manager.  For 40 years, he worked with high-net worth individuals, as well as various nonprofit organizations.  For the last 25 of those years he was the Senior Vice President and investment manager for Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.  Additionally, Ray served on the Board of Trustees for Dominican University, where he received an Exemplary Service Award, he is a member of the Naperville Country Club, and he sits on the Financial Advisory Committee for the Sisters of the Resurrection Order in Chicago.  For nine years, Ray has also served on the St. Francis High School Finance Committee and Board of Directors, most recently as the Chairman.  Ray earned a Bachelor's Degree from Loras College, a Master's degree from Northern Illinois University, and graduated with distinction from Northwestern University National Graduate Trust School.  He married fellow SFHS classmate Rosemarie Komen '61 Reid, and together they have two children and five grandchildren.

Joe Buchholz '84 co-owns and manages with his brothers, Buck Services, a cleaning/maintenance and facility management company. Their business serves schools, churches, and commercial operations.  Joe is very involved in the business community and has received multiple awards, including his most recent 2016 award from Assurance Agency for Minimizing Risk, Maximizing Health in the workplace.  Joe also volunteers for many organizations including St. Michael Parish as Catechist, Illinois Citizens for Life, and DuPage Pads.  He is the Chairman of the Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, and is a mentor for college students and business start-ups.  Additionally Joe serves as President of the St. Francis High School Alumni Association and is a member of the Board of Directors Institutional Advancement Committee.  Joe earned an Associate's Degree from the College of DuPage and a Bachelor's Degree From Loyola University.  He and his wife Tracy have four children.

sfhscollegeprep.org/raffle

Congratulations to Luke Armbrust '18 who is the IHSA Class 2A Golf Champion.

This season, Luke set a 9-hole scoring record with a 4 under par 32.  He also broke the school record for the 18-hole score with a 66.  He won the Glen Oak Invitational with a one under par 71 and tied for first at the Conference Tournament with a 66.

According to his coach, Greg Baresel, Luke is always looking to see how he can help the team.  After winning at state, Luke said, "This is for the team!"  This year's golf team broke the 18-hole scoring record with a team score of 294.  Luke led the team in scoring with an average score of 74. 

Purchase your 60th Anniversary commemorative t-shirt.

Click here to purchase with pick-up in the Main Office between 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. 

$10.00

Click here to purchase with shipping to any US address 

$13.00

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When Jim Wall, English teacher, retired two years go, he began collecting and compiling stories about St. Francis High School from faculty, staff and students to share with the community. 

One story came from Mrs. Trudy Rigney about how she met her now husband, Kevin Rigney, while teaching here in 1978.  She said the students knew they were dating, so when they got engaged and the students saw Trudy's ring, there was a lot of excitement.  They began planning their wedding but wanted to find a time in the fall or winter when they could have some time for a honeymoon.  They worked with Fr. McDonald, Principal, to select the Saturday before Thanksgiving so they'd only miss three working days the following week.  They also needed to find a venue for their reception.  Since they didn't make much money teaching and Trudy's dad was helping her sister pay for school, they weren't left with many options.  Fr. McDonald suggested the Slant Dome and they accepted.  Trudy said, "We are the only people we know who had their wedding reception in the St. Francis Slant Dome.  The band was up on the old stage and it was a rip roaring good time."

 

Next month, on November 29, St. Francis High School will be participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that kicks off the holiday giving and end-of-the-year tax seasons.  Please save this date and choose St. Francis High School as a recipient of your charitable giving.  Because of people like you, St. Francis High School continues to provide spiritual, academic, physical and social development opportunities for all students who enroll.