November 14, 2023

In case you missed it, please take some time to read through the Student Affairs Newsletter. This newsletter includes important information about the upcoming Thanksgiving Break and other updates from Student Affairs.

Thank you to our Veterans and active members of the Armed Forces.

Please view IMSA's Veterans Day Assembly, featuring IMSA Alum and Naval Flight Office, Gina Martyn '90, as the keynote speaker.

The IMSA chess team played its third tournament of the year at West Chicago High School over the weekend. IMSA won three out of four matches, bringing home the third-place trophy.

IMSA lost only one match, against Whitney Young (who took second place in the tournament), though IMSA's board one player, Sadkrith Malladi '25, won individually against their top board. This tournament gave no individual board medals, but Sadkrith played exceptionally well, winning four out of four games.

Congratulations to the IMSA team, comprised of Sadkrith Malladi '25, Aarav Shah '26, Himani Musku '25, William Cahill '25, Aarav Lala '26, Jeanmyung Yu '25, Louis Chen '26, Zhuoer Cai '25, and Ankit Walishetti '25.

Have you heard that two IMSA colleagues and our board chair recently published articles focusing on AI in the special edition of the ILASCD Journal? Our students are also engaged in developing new ideas to incorporate AI in their projects, and we are supporting many of them through an Innovation Grant thanks to support from the Stephanie Pace Marshall Endowment. Check out their projects here.

AI Session #3 features an hour-long sandbox session that guides you step by step on how to build a basic AI. Get ready to dig in and Do It Yourself! 

Please bring your own lunch and laptop.

Handouts will be provided. We love beginners, as well as those with experience who can share their knowledge with others. 

Catch up with previous AI Bytes sessions on YouTube:

Session 1: Intro to AI 

Session 2: AI Tools to Enrich Education

Thank you to ITMC for recording, editing, and posting the sessions

Your student voice is needed to help shape how IMSA designs AI experiences in and out of the classroom, including the design of a new Center for Artificial Intelligence. The purpose of this survey is to understand the level of usage of AI among students.  

Thank you for participating in our survey!

IMSA’s Titan To Go program will host a pop-up thrift shop for students on December 6 and 7. The shop aims to provide students with a fun, low-cost shopping experience. We are collecting new or gently used clothing, coats and jackets, jewelry and accessories, giftable items, professional clothing for interviews, luggage, backpacks, items needed for intersession travel, books, arts and crafts supplies, dorm decor, and items approved for use in a res hall room (see IMSA Student Parent Handbook page 31). Please drop off your items in the Student Affairs office if you wish to donate. 

Proceeds from the shop will be used to support the senior prom. We want to provide a fun opportunity to shop on campus and to reduce the financial burden that may prevent some of our students from enjoying their senior prom. More details about the shop will be released soon.

For more information on donations, please get in touch with Michelle Bemis, Titan To Go coordinator, at mbemis@imsa.edu.

Today is the last day to order a limited edition IMSA sweatshirt. The sweatshirt comes in multiple colors as a hoodie or a crew neck.

All proceeds from the sale go to the Senior Class Club to help raise money for prom.

Yearbook orders are open through January 15, 2024! Order a yearbook for your student so they can enjoy memories of the school year.

Yearbooks are $70 per book. For an additional fee, you can personalize your yearbook with your student's name or purchase a cover protector. 

For more information, contact Joyce Symoniak at jsymoniak@imsa.edu.

Resource Workshops

Faculty and staff will host weekly informational sessions on Thursdays to benefit the IMSA Community. Unless otherwise noted, these workshops will occur on Thursdays during the Support and Engagement Period.

Mark your calendar for the next session:

"Academic Resources and eBooks"

Presented by the IRC

November 16, 2023

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Ac Pit

Learn more about finding sources for your essays and how to access the vast amount of eBooks at your fingertips! 

Peer Tutors will be available to help prepare for final exams and work on semester projects. Pizza will be provided by PAC and the Academic Support Team.

The impact of gratitude is powerful. Not only do you feel great recognizing another person, but they also understand how important they are to you and to IMSA. I will personally deliver the gratitude submitted up through Thanksgiving. It's a delight to recognize people who make a difference.

If you have thoughts on this topic or wish that I discuss others, don't hesitate to reach out to me at eglazer@imsa.edu.

Dr. Glazer's math help is by appointment only through 11/24. Don't hesitate to reach out!

Student Spotlight

Dr. Micah Fogel recently gave the keynote address at the November meeting of the Metropolitan Mathematics Club. The MMC is one of the oldest organizations supporting math teachers in the country, and it essentially spawned the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. Fogel's presentation centered on gerrymandering, including what it is, how it's accomplished, how to detect that it has happened, and how to remedy or even prevent it from happening in the future.

Regarding the topic, Dr. Fogel stated, "Mathematicians are among the leaders in recent challenges to political districts, having tools from algebra, geometry, and statistics that have stood up in court to help bust unfairly gerrymandered political maps."

Dr. Fogel has been teaching mathematics at IMSA since 1994.

Please complete the Spotlight Submission Form if you have been recently recognized in your field, celebrated for your academic or professional achievements, or are working on a project you'd like to share. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Johnson at ajohnson2@imsa.edu.

More than one-third of people on Earth cannot view the Milky Way from their location because it is obscured by light.

This is the consequence of light pollution, which occurs because of the excessive use of artificial outdoor lighting and is detrimental to human health, wildlife behavior, and our ability to view stars and other celestial objects with the naked eye. By turning off unnecessary indoor and outdoor lights, you can help reduce the effects of light pollution and your energy bill! 

Junior Parent Meeting

Tuesday, November 14

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Via Zoom

Agenda Items

• Open discussion
• Q&A session

Sophomore Parent Meeting

Wednesday, November 15

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Via Google Meets

Agenda Items

• How can parents best support their students?
• Coping mechanisms and mental health indicators
• General updates

Pizza Donations

If you would like to donate funds to help purchase pizza for the upcoming Finals Study Session, click here. Zelle donations can be sent directly to treasurer@imsapac.org.

Meet Zhuoer Cai '25

What is your favorite subject?

My favorite subject is math. I like the objectivity of math compared to other subjects (English and other interpretation-based subjects).

What do you do outside of Peer Tutoring?

I enjoy running, playing chess, and doing math.

Do you have any advice for your peers? 

My advice for IMSA students is to fully understand whatever concept is being taught in your math classes. A fundamental understanding of a concept will serve you better than just memorizing formulas.

During the week of Thanksgiving, IMSA will have Virtual Engagement Days on Monday, November 20, and Tuesday, November 21. This allows students to return home before Thanksgiving week while still having the opportunity to engage in their academics and academic support remotely.  

Additional Details:  

• Virtual Engagement Days will not be regular, full class days via Zoom. Each faculty member will have an appropriate plan for their course and students, which may or may not include some synchronous meeting times via Zoom.  
• Assignments and assessments can be given and/or due on the Virtual Engagement Days.
• For attendance, if a student cannot participate in any synchronous meetings during the Virtual Engagement Days, the family must notify the Attendance Office, just as during a normal day of class. If a student has an unexcused absence from a required meeting during the Virtual Engagement Days, it will be marked as such in the attendance records. 
• Faculty and Academic Support (CACs, Learning Strategies Coordinator, etc.) will communicate any synchronous meeting requirements or opportunities to students as early as possible but no later than Friday, November 17, 2023.
• The B-Day (Monday) and C-Day (Tuesday) schedules will remain in place so that faculty who want to schedule synchronous meetings have a designated time to do so without creating scheduling conflicts.
• Faculty may still host office hours/drop-in Zoom time outside their regularly scheduled class times, just as during normal class days.

Any questions about the Virtual Engagement Days can be directed to Paul Gaszak, Dean of Academics and Equity, at pgaszak@imsa.edu. 

Although many students and families have December traditions for providing holiday gifts of thanks to faculty and staff, IMSA employees are subject to the State of Illinois Ethics Act which prohibits them from accepting or soliciting gifts from prohibited sources. Per IMSA’s Ban on Receipts of Gifts Policy, this includes current and prospective parents and students.

While we deeply appreciate the generosity of our IMSA families, we respectfully request you limit any holiday thanks to Faculty and/or Staff to written notes of appreciation only.

Class of 2026

Your next LEAD elective module will take place on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Please bring a laptop, notebook, and writing utensils to every LEAD session, and read through the 2023-24 LEAD Syllabus before Wednesday to review the attendance policy and upcoming modules. If you need an excused absence, email LEAD Program Coordinator, Ms. Emma Wilson, by Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Questions or concerns? Contact LEAD Program Coordinator Ms. Emma Wilson.

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!

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! 

November 18 - Halls Close at 1:00 p.m.

November 20 - 21 - Virtual Engagement Days

November 22 - 26 - Thanksgiving Break

November 26 - Halls Open at 3:00 p.m.

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.