January 16, 2024

Website Translation Feature Now Available

Whether parents count on our website for lunch menus, calendars, or health information, it is the hub of information for our campus community. We're excited to announce that imsa.edu is now accessible in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi. Look for the Language Box in the lower right-hand corner of any web page and select the preferred language from the drop-down menu.

MLK Assembly: Mapping the Civil Rights

Movement of Black and Latine Communities

Monday, January 22, 2024

3:00 p.m.

Main Gym

Join IMSA in a celebration of the legacy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will feature student performances, staff speakers, and special guest speakers. Learn more about them below.

Tonika Lewis Johnson

The Folded Map Project

Tonika Johnson is a photographer, social justice artist, and lifelong resident of Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Englewood. She is the co-founder of multiple organizations that seek to reframe the narrative of South Side communities and mobilize people for positive change.

Michael Reyes

Spoken Word Artist

As a poet, artist, and organizer, Reyes performs internationally and facilitates

educational performances and workshops by merging creative expression and critical thought. His mission is to provide a participatory educational environment through poetry and hip-hop to address issues of social justice and cultural identity.

Rodrigo Sanchez '15

IMSA DEI Associate

Rodrigo Sanchez is an alumnus of the Class of 2015. Before returning to IMSA in his current role, Rodrigo worked in the chemical industry. Rodrigo was introduced to DEI work as a student at IMSA and has continued this work through student leadership, volunteer work, and serving on councils to address institutional equity.

Student attendance is mandatory. Fob access to the halls will be shut off prior to the event start time and will not resume until the end of the assembly.

Virtual Parent/Family Day

Saturday, February 3, 2024

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Stay tuned for more info!

Athletic and Co-Curricular Info Meetings

Badminton Informational Meeting

Monday, January 29, 2024

4:45 p.m.

E121

Come and meet the new coach and find out more about the badminton team here at IMSA.

Spring Sports Meeting

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

7:00 a.m.

Ac Pit

This will be the LAST makeup session offered.

Track and Field

Thursday, January 25, 2024

4:30 p.m.

Room E121

This meeting is mandatory if you are interested in participating in Track and Field.

Boys Tennis

Sunday, February 25, 2024

5:00 p.m.

Room E121

This meeting is mandatory if you are interested in participating in Boys Tennis

Support Your Titans!

City of Aurora Vs. Cancer Basketball Shootout 2024

January 20, 2024

Hosted at Marmion Academy

Cheer on the IMSA Boys and Girls Basketball Teams as they compete against other Aurora schools. Proceeds and donations raised by each team will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to combat childhood cancer. Come support your Titans, or donate to the teams below!

Girls Basketball Team

Boys Basketball Team

INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Developing IMSA's AI Center

Week 2 Recommendations

Friday, January 19, 2024

4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

IN2

Students from the “Designing IMSA’s AI Future” Intersession will host their second Q&A session regarding AI at IMSA based on their learning experiences and discussions with various AI professionals during their Intersession. Students, Faculty, and Staff are invited to attend a Q&A session to hear what they have learned and how it can apply to AI at IMSA. If you would like to be part of the discussion or learn more about AI, head down to IN2 this Friday.

If You Don't Use AI in the Future,

You May Be Out of a Job

By Dr. Evan Glazer, President

Last week, I had the privilege to join a group of students on a field trip to Argonne National Laboratory. We had a chance to tour the facility and learn about Argonne's new supercomputer, Aurora, and hear how the scientists are using AI on different projects. It was evident they are not only using Aurora to explore problems previously unsolvable, but also to create simulations that define parameters of scientific outcomes. For example, they explained how an extraordinary number of permutations of vaccines can be tested to learn which ones have real promise to be explored in a laboratory setting. Further, since viruses mutate, they explained how the technology can be used to predict future modifications of a drug.

The Argonne team provided a lot of different modeling, visualization, and computer engineering examples that have opened access to a wide variety of research explorations. I felt grateful that they are leading future exploration, and also involving IMSA students as part of their experiments. Many of us think about how AI may take over portions of our workforce. We're actually not competing against AI, but rather thinking about how AI can be used as a valuable tool to discover what's possible. Those who forge ahead will find ways to use AI to their advantage, thus planting a seed that AI is essential for scientific and workforce innovation. Those who don't use it will just be left behind.

The students finished their week by presenting a framework for a future Center for Artificial Intelligence at IMSA with possible near-term outcomes. I am grateful our students are vested in shaping the future of learning possibilities. Certainly, we should be leaders in AI. Take a look at some of the projects they are working on this year, thanks to an IMSA Innovation Grant. I look forward to how they unfold over the course of the school year, and how our students use AI to advance the human condition.

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.

Intersession Spotlight

The IMSA Italy Intersession trip has been full of adventure! Faculty chaperones Erin Micklo and Leah Kind and their students visited the Uffizi museum, haggled at San Lorenzo Market, climbed to the top of the Bell Tower at the Duomo, explored the little shops of Florence, saw the Vatican and Pantheon, toured the Colosseum and Forum, and experienced Basilica San Clemente, as well as the archeological excavation of the Mithras pagan temple underneath the church.

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.

LEAD and Service Learning

Thank you for a great semester of LEAD! Your next LEAD elective module will occur on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. All classroom and elective assignments will be allocated after Winter Break. Please note that you may receive your second choice while you rank your elective choices.

Please make sure that you are watching your attendance points for LEAD. If students accumulate 12 attendance points OR reach five (5) total absences, excused or unexcused, they will fail to complete LEAD and have to retake it next year. Students and their parent/guardians with over six attendance points and/or more than two absences will receive an email from Mrs. Emma informing them of their total absences. In addition to an email, a meeting will be held with the student to discuss attendance after the break. Contact LEAD program coordinator Emma Wilson (ewilson1@imsa.edu) if you have any questions or concerns.

Monthly PAC Meeting

Saturday, January 20, 2024

10:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

IN2

Join us for updates from PAC committees and IMSA administrators. After the meeting, those attending in person are encouraged to stay to support IMSA at a parent/student panel during Preview Day from 11:50 am - 12:20 pm. Please email vp@imsapac.org if you are available to volunteer.

Culture Show - Parent Support Needed

Asian Students in America (ASIA) has asked for parent support to help ensure the success of the upcoming Lunar Culture Show. Our students love to enjoy foods of the culture after their performance. Please consider making a donation or providing food or time for the student show on Friday, January 26!

Donate Food

Volunteer

Donate Funds

All parents are invited to attend the Parent Show on Saturday, January 27 (doors open at 2:00 p.m.). Tickets for those 13 years of age and older are $5 each. There is no potluck following the Parent Show. The show will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend.

Senior Banquet

Please visit this website to see more information about the May 31, 2024 banquet and purchase your tickets.

Girls IN2 STEM Spring Cohort

The Girls IN2 STEM program is an experience for middle school youth to connect with an IMSA high school mentor during a 5-week cohort run from February through March. The cohort of selected students will collaborate around activities designed to inspire, educate, and empower girls on topics in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Together, youth will learn about women's innovative and game-changing contributions to society and learn to embrace and celebrate our uniqueness.

The program will run in person at IMSA's Innovation Center on Mondays from

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and cover the following topics:

February 5: Week 1: Welcome to IMSA!
February 19: Week 2: Physics + Math
February 26: Week 3: CS+ Engineering
March 4: Program week 4: Biology + Chemistry
March 11: Program week 5: Entrepreneurship + Project
March 17: Conference (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)

Please share this opportunity with any middle school girls interested in the program. The deadline to register is January 20 at 11:59 p.m. If you have any questions, please reach out to girlsin2stem@imsa.edu.

Looking for STEM Enrichment?

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 '24!

Search Local Opportunities

Submit an Order

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.