December 5, 2023

Danica Sun '24 is one of six youth delegates representing the Greater Chicago area at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai. She is advocating for the U.S. National Youth Statement she helped author, gaining insight from interviewing world leaders, attending panels, and educating others on climate policy.

Danica will host a webinar geared toward high school students on Wednesday, December 6, at 11:00 a.m. CST.

Joshua Lee '24 and Divya Brahmbhatt '24 are representing IMSA at the 2023 International Student Science Fair in Brisbane, Australia this week. Joshua and Divya will be presenting their SIR research projects at the Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology with other young science scholars from around the world.

Juniors

Your college selection process officially starts next week, and your presence is required at mandatory College Selection meetings. Meetings will be held on December 5 and December 7 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. You need to attend the session with your CAC. Please follow this schedule for the dates and locations of your meeting:

If you cannot attend the meeting with your CAC, you must notify your CAC first and then participate in a meeting with another CAC. If you do not know who your CAC is, please check PowerSchool or the CAC webpage.

Webinar: "Has My Child Applied to College Yet?"

December 7, 2023

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

Via Zoom

This informative session for parents and guardians of seniors will provide an overview of IMSA's preliminary application statistics for the Class of 2024. The CACs will also cover a comprehensive to-do list for students, parents, and CACs in the college application process, including important upcoming due dates.

Speech Team

Congratulations to the IMSA Speech team who competed in the Glenbard South Invitational Speech Tournament last weekend. Special congratulations to the following students:

Bhagya Sunod '26 and Dhivija Challa '26 - Finalist, Humorous Duet Acting

Rachel Qi '25 and Navya Dixit '25 - 5th place, Humorous Duet Acting

Maggie DiMarco '24 - 3rd place, Impromptu Speaking

Ellen Hsuan '25 - 6th place, Oratorical Declamation

Sai Ganbote '26 - 2nd place, Original Oratory

Molly Federici '26 - 2nd place, Radio Speaking

Dance Team

The Dance Team received first place for their lyrical routine and second place for their jazz routine at the Batavia Dance Invitational on December 2.

Captains Ani Georgieva ‘24 and Alyssa Senese ‘25 choreographed the winning routines along with their coach. Go, Titans!

Choir and Orchestra

Congratulations to the following students who earned a spot on the All-State Orchestra and Choir groups:

Ryan Cho '25

Marguerite DiMarco '24

Johanna Germo '24

Eric Lee '26

Joshua Mu '25

Aditya Prashanth '24

Rachel Qi '25

Rithik Thekniath '24

While your students are studying hard for finals, eagerly anticipating the day they come home for winter break, they may get a bit hungry. Well, SCC is excited to offer Finals Care Packages!

The packages come in 3 sizes and contain an assortment of chips, candy, ramen, caffeine, and other essentials to get students through finals week. Packages also come with a personalized note. Treat your student to some self-care, and boost their motivation to study!

Finals Care Package orders are due on Thursday, December 7. Once you have completed the form you can pay using MySchoolBucks. If you are ordering for multiple students, please fill out one form per student.

Please note that a special class schedule will be used on Monday, December 18, which is the day before final exams begin. This day was scheduled to support student success and well-being during finals week. Rather than starting exams right after the weekend on Monday, students will now have the first day of finals week to connect with their teachers and have the afternoon to access study sessions and other academic supports. View the finals week schedule here.

IMSA’s Titan To Go program will host a pop-up thrift shop for students on December 6 and 7 in the Student Union. The shop aims to provide students with a fun, low-cost shopping experience. The shop will feature 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, and dorm decor.

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.

Please note that the Student Union will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so that it can be used for the pop-up thrift shop.

Are you looking to relieve some stress, increase your energy, or get fit? Great news - IMSA Group Fitness Classes are back! Please join IMSA counselor and certified group fitness instructor, Alex Pratt, on Wednesdays starting on December 6 at 3:15. Classes will meet in the Multipurpose Room (the room with the mirrors connected to the gym).

Workouts are generally a full-body workout with strength, core, and cardio exercises. You will need to dress in workout clothes and shoes and bring a water bottle. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Pratt at apratt@imsa.edu.

IMSA has far more applicants than spaces available, and we’re exploring ways to provide an IMSA experience to students who are not admitted. There are also plenty of students who don’t apply because of their own life experiences. However, a shorter experience with IMSA might be quite meaningful. A summer middle school program is an example of something we’ve tried in the past, and in the future, may create more access to high school-age research experiences.

I’ve also shared that we are offering a hybrid Object-Oriented Programming class next spring as a pilot. This is where IMSA students learn in person, and other students learn remotely. It’s fascinating to see interest from students around the state, including homeschoolers or teachers who wish to take the course alongside their students. As we think about planning for next year, we are surveying school divisions where there might be demand to take an IMSA course online. 

What do you think about this idea? What course(s) should we make available? I have a lot of ideas. However, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please contact me at eglazer@imsa.edu to offer your perspective.

Dr. Glazer will continue math resource help on A-days during 2nd mod, and starting in December, Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the Science Study Area.

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 Research and IRC Resources"

Hosted by Ms. Connie James-Jenkins

December 7, 2023

2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Ac Pit

Drop in for help finding sources and learn about some of the fun items the IRC has for students to enjoy during their ftime.

Class of 2026

Your next LEAD elective module will take place on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. This is the last class of the semester. 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.

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 this week informing them of their total absences.

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

Finals Study Session Pizza Donations

If you still want 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.

Holiday Treats for Faculty/Staff

Bring joy and show appreciation to the IMSA staff by putting together a holiday treat table with homemade sweets from our IMSA families. Please use the following links to sign up.

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 from this event will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to combat childhood cancer. Come support your Titans for a good cause!

EmmaLi Isham '25 was selected as an Early Entry Winner of the Ashoka x Firstbook Time for Change Youth Challenge. EmmaLi serves as the 1502 Hall Senator on the Student Council, where she had the idea to create a snack cart for IMSA students. While searching for funding and support for the project, she submitted the idea of a snack station to the Time for Change Youth Challenge and was selected as a winner. EmmaLi received $100 to support the project, and she is currently working on bringing a snack cart to the student body with other Student Council members.

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.

On Thursday, November 16, 160 grade school students and 125 parents from District 129 and District 131 of Aurora joined IMSA for the 17th Annual Community Family Reading Night. This year's theme was "Reading! The Bridge to Math and Science". The annual event promotes Literacy and STEM in the community. Our grade school student attendees participated in storytime, crafts, and scientific activities during the evening.

Each participant received an event-themed t-shirt, a backpack, and several books. They were also treated to ice cream. The outreach event was sponsored by The Romeu Murariu Literacy and Stem Fund, which was established recently in honor of Dr. Daniel Murariu's father. Dr. Dan Murariu graduated from IMSA in 1999. 

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.

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.

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!

Mark Your Calendars! 

December 15 - Shortened Class Schedule

December 15 - Holiday Concert

December 18 - Shortened Class Schedule

December 19 - 21 - Final Exams

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.