May Recap and Summer Send-Off

"Breakfast for Dinner" & AP Exams

By the time the first full week of May came around, AP Exam stress was in full swing. Many exams were being had over those first two weeks of May. Coupled with end-of-the-year final projects, tests, projects, and presentations, this was a very high-stress time for the students at IMSA. As such, I decided to use the remainder of our generous parent donations to cook up a “Breakfast for Dinner” for the guys. A special thank you goes to Nick Golinvaux '14, Elliot Krause '14, and Richard Noriega '14 for helping out with the cooking. The menu included 48 scrambled eggs in various batches (plain, cheese, and veggies), 48 pancakes, 32 sausage links, and juice and milk to go with it. The guys loved it and you can be sure there were no leftovers. It was the perfect study snack/break.

The chaos ensues in my kitchen.

2014 Senior Prom

By the end of that week, our Seniors (and some Juniors) were off to Prom. They had an absolutely gorgeous day for the event which included a pre-party of photos and appetizers at the Morton Arboretum, followed by dinner and dancing in the Skydeck of the Sears Tower. A lot of fun was had and it was hard to believe that the year was so close to being done.

Richard Noriega '14 before Prom.

Evan Derse '14 & Mateusz Wojtaszek '14 before Prom. 

Juniors Rajiv Trehan '14 & Leon Wang '14 were asked to be the dates of two Seniors. 

Nick Golinvaux '14 before Prom. 

Seniors Trip to Downtown Chicago

On Saturday, the 17^th, I took our seven seniors on a trip to downtown Chicago. This seniors-only trip was a lot of fun and included a lot of exploring of the Downtown/Millennium Park area. David Lisk ’14 was our dedicated photographer for the day and definitely caught some candid shots of our adventures. (See below) We had the perfect day for it with the weather and I know our guys really enjoyed the chance to get off campus and be in the big city. After a few hours of exploring, we enjoyed a dinner of appetizers, pub food, and desserts at the Elephant & Castle on Wabash, which was just a couple of blocks from Millennium Park. The desserts were easily the biggest hit. No surprise there. 

Just entering Millennium Park. 

Obligatory "Bean" group photo.

Matt, Richard, Elliot, and Evan in front of the Millennium Park Amphitheater.

Roommates Richard Noriega & Elliot Krause.

04D Vertical Quad: David Lisk, Evan Derse, & Mateusz Wojtaszek.

Roommates Brennan Wakey & Nick Golinvaux.

Heading back to the car after a long, but memorable day.

"Get Active!" Wing Dinner

That following day, I held a mandatory meeting for all of our guys that were still on campus. It was a gorgeous day and yet many of them were cooped up in their room studying and generally being stressed out about finals and other homework. At this meeting, I informed them that, thanks to the family of Kyle Parker ’16, we would be having a Wing Dinner of Jimmy Johns that night. The only condition on this Wing Dinner was that we all had to go outside and play for at least 30 minutes. The guys were game and we enjoyed about 45 minutes of volleyball and touch football. They had a blast outside and thoroughly enjoyed the Wing Dinner later that night. Thanks again Parker family!

Some intense elimination-style "Speedball".

Nick Golinvaux '14 tosses the football to Mateusz Wojtaszek '14. 

Kyle Parker '16, Elliot Krause '14, Franklin Ye '16, & Samuel Rousser '16 wait for another match to begin.

Our wing enjoys the rewards of their time outside.

Richard's Birthday Wing Dinner

On our final Monday night together, May  26^th, the family of Richard Noriega ’14 put on an authentic, freshly-cooked Brazilian dinner for our Wing. The food was absolutely delicious and our guys loved having such a treat the night before their final exams began. We sang Richard “Happy Birthday” and thanked the Noriega family for their amazing generosity and care for putting on such a wonderful meal.

A Final Thought

It’s hard to believe that our school year has come to an end. It seems like just yesterday it was August and I was welcoming everyone to the parent meetings.. It has been a very fun and enjoyable year with the guys of 04D Wing. 

To our Seniors: I wish you all amazing and purposeful college careers. 

To our Sophomores and Juniors: I look forward to seeing you again in the Fall. 

Thanks again to each of you for making my 1^st year as an IMSA RC so memorable and meaningful!

April Recap and IMSAlloqium

Campfire & S'mores Night

During the school day on April 9^th, those who had done an SIR project gave a practice presentation in preparation for the upcoming IMSAlloqium. A lot of work went into these independent research endeavors and therefore the practice presentation was a stressful day for many of them. And so, later that night, the Wing took advantage of a beautiful night to start a campfire, play some Frisbee, and make some S’mores after 10-check. It was a big hit and the guys really enjoyed being able to relax and just be kids. 

Michael Wang '15 prepping his S'mores. 

Justin Orr '16, Cam Hudgins '16, Josh Burke '16, Richard Noriega '14, &
Evan Derse '14 enjoying the glow of the fire. 

Daniel Collins '15 & Joshua Rodriguez '16 toasting their marshmallows.

The young men of 1504D Wing.

IMSAlloqium 2014

IMSAlloqium was a day full of our Juniors and Seniors presenting the research that they had been doing for the past year (or two). Many of our guys presented and it was quite evident that they had put in a great deal of work into some high-quality research. It was definitely one of those days that made you appreciate just how talented these students are. It was also a pleasure to see many of you, the parents, that day as you went to see your son present. Below are some photos from the day of those who gave presentations. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the SIR presentation of Daniel Collins '15. He did research on musical sonatas. 

Evan Derse' 14 did an SIR on making air turbines more
energy efficient, while also reducing noise pollution.

David Lisk '14 did an SIR on creating a water filter that
kills bacteria more effectively. 

Ziang (Leon) Wang '15 did an SIR on cost-saving and
environmental benefits of green roofs that collect
rain runoff.

Mateusz Wojtaszek '14 did an SIR on reducing toxic silver runoff
in common water filters and thereby water-borne illnesses.

Wenhan (Michael) Wang '15 did an SIR on stem cell research
and its application towards Parkinson's disease.

Rajiv Trehan '15 did an SIR on the use of fluorescence in order to better identify
and locate cancerous cells and tumors prior to surgery.

All and all, it was a very impressive set of presentations and I'm very proud of the work these talented, young men have done.

Dessert Date

On the 22^nd, we had our final Dinner Date of the year. We did it potluck style and thank you to all the parents who sent their kids back with some truly delicious treats. It was an impressive spread and I know our students enjoyed the chance to get out of the halls, enjoy some desserts, and socialize. This is truly one of those great events where your sons have a chance to just be a teenager. This night was also marked by some impromptu toasting and roasting by one of our well-known Seniors, Nick Golinvaux ’14. 

The spread of desserts, including root beer floats.

Dessert dates are a great opportunity to socialize and have fun!

"Tough Guise" Program

The final major event we had in April was titled “Tough Guise”. I made this event mandatory for our guys because I believe it holds an important message. This event lasted roughly 2.5 hours, was put on by the male RCs, and had over 150 of IMSA’s young men in attendance. Students rotated through 3 breakout sessions that dealt with masculinity & language, what it means to be a guy at IMSA, and the importance of consent and communication in romantic relationships and dealings. All and all, this event provided a great space for our guys to think about and critically discuss what it means to be a young man in our society and how this influences our understandings of sex and consent. It was a very well-regarded program and I have had countless conversations with your sons since then that have included references to what was discussed that night. It clearly got through to them.