Player of the Game

Mitch Wendling won the POG for the Warriors over the Rockets last night.

Great Vantage Point

Watching the Warriors get ready to take on Routt at Illinois College

Enjoying some blue hot chocolate

Received a gift of Aggie Blue Hot Chocolate today. Made a cup tonight. Tastes like hot chocolate...sort of. :)

Session 2

Session 3 discussed using the ACT College Readiness Standards to focus instruction. We have been doing this at AHS in our math, science, and English departments for 4 years.  The conversation also included using 9 week assessments and the total EPAS program to assist students in reaching academic success. This was a self-esteem booster for me. It shows that we (staff and admin) are already doing things that other schools are just starting.  This is no reason to rest though. I have already noted several ideas to share with my staff.  Session 3 is upcoming .......

Session 1

My first session focused on ipad use in the science department. The session was excellent for a variety of reasons. Many of the tips and ideas will work with or without an ipad.  It is always nice to hear what other districts are doing to improve the learning environment.  The 2 speakers were science teachers from St. Charles North HS.  Session 2 is about to start and it deals with school improvement. 

Healthy Choice

Attending a conference in Springfield today.  Got up early and played some 6AM basketball.....had to pass on the donuts and bagels ....

The High School Years Parent Resources

I just added the 2 newest parent resource documents to the webpage.  One has strategies for dealing with bullying and another has reading tips for studying and learning.

Busy Week

A busy week at Athens High School is upon us. Monday the girls BB team travels to Riverton. On Tuesday, the girls go to Auburn and the boys BB team hosts Williamsville at home. On Thursday, Scholastic Bowl travels to New Berlin for the Conference Meet.  Also, on Thursday, Mrs. Slager will be taking a group of design students to the Dana Thomas House.  On Friday, FFA will travel to Moline for a tour of the John Deere Facilities. The Warriors will host New Berlin on Friday night as well. 

Another fun Saturday Morning

Hit the trails by 8. Also....Good luck to the 7th grade girls BB team at state.

Tonight's Schedule

The Warrior Classic ends tonight. The Warriors play their final game at around 7:30pm against Delavan.  Prior to our game, HartEm will play Calvary.  Look forward to seeing you there.  Also, the Lady Warriors defeated Olympia at home last night.  The Lady Warriors will host Williamsville here at 6:15 (JV) 7:30 (Var) on Thursday. The boys will travel to Edinburg on Friday night.

Tis The Season

Mitch is hard at work putting up the main office tree.

Warrior Classic Friday

Athens is winning over Calvary by 18 with 3m left. They will pull even at 1-1.
PORTA defeated HartEm by 16
Saturday Athens will play PORTA at 6pm.

Warrior Classic Updates

Monday: Delavan defeated HartEm and PORTA defeated Calvary.
Tuesday : PORTA defeated Delavan and HartEm defeated Athens.
Tonight : HartEm plays PORTA @ 6 and Athens plays Calvary @ 730p

Reunion with my former boss!

After a long ride in Washington, we went for a gyro and ran into my boss from a college delivery job 20+ years ago.  If you are ever in Washington and hungry - head to Khouries and visit Sarkhis.

Farmdale View

Another day in the saddle.  Riding with friends in Farmdale.

Bowling With Seniors

My first group: TJ, Peyton, & Holly.

Eating Pizza With Spanish 4

Spanish 4 class get to enjoy Pizza Hut for winning the  canned food drive.

Girls Open With a Big Win

The Lady Warriors opened their season last night with a 44-26 victory the Lady Indians from Pawnee High School. The girls play again tonight at 6:15 against Kincaid.

Meg at the Mic

Meg giving her Veterans Day Address this morning at CIS in front of 500 people.

Veterans Day Assembly Thursday

The AHS Leadership Committee's Annual Veterans Day Assembly is set for Thursday at CIS at 8:30am. I will post pictures and stories tomorrow night.

Congratulations Dana on All-State Selection!

Senior Dana Koerner was selected to 2nd chair IEMA All-State. Dana plays the flute in Athens HS band. 

Conference Tonight

I hope that everyone was able to find a time that worked for them. The scheduling of conferences allows for a more student-focused conference. There are plenty of time slots left for Friday.  You can also walk-in. Walk-ins just have to wait for pre-scheduled meetings to end. Hope to see you at the school over the next few days.

A Bus Full of FANS!

I wanted to thank all of the kids who rode the fan bus on Saturday.  I know the football team appreciated your attendance.  It was a long ride and you all appeared to have fun. Thanks be great fans...

Saturday's Results

Saturday was a day that brought an end to three fall sports. The Warrior football team fought valiantly against the 9-0 CSE Panthers. The Panthers eventually won the game 27-14. Our seniors have been so instrumental in our young program's success. Our varsity program has been to the playoffs 3 times in 6 years.  Also on Saturday, our Conference champion boy's cross-country team competed in the sectional. The girls' team competed as well. Unfortunately, we did not advance in either division.   Our boys and girls had outstanding seasons this year. The boys gave us our 1st conference championship in any sport since 1986. Great job. 

FAN BUS

There may be a fan bus for Saturday's football game. Students interested need to stop in the office Thursday. 

Fan Bus

A fan bus may be available for Saturday's football game. Stop in the office to get the details.

Regional semi-final action

Game 1

Big Semi-Final Game Tonight

Your Lady Warriors will play PORTA tonight in the 2nd of 2  regional matches at Athens High School.Game 1 starts @ 530p b/w Williamsville and Tremont. Athens and PORTA will follow at around 630p. Come out and support your Warriors.

HS Yearbook issue

The yearbook order forms that were sent out by Jostens to all high school students via the mail were misprinted.  The order forms were stamped Athens Junior High School instead of Athens High School. New forms will be sent out to everyone very soon.  

Warrior Playoff Game

The Warrior Football team will travel to Camp Point Central High School for their 1st round game.  The game is scheduled for 1pm on Saturday the 29th.  More information will follow soon. Check back for directions and other game related information.

Here Comes The Boom On Senior Night

Tonight the Warriors host New Berlin for Senior Night. Becca, Holly,& Jet would love a big crowd tonight. I want thank them for their dedication to our program over the past 4 years and more.

IPA Annual Conference

This Monday and Tuesday, I attended the 40th annual Illinois Principals Conference in Peoria. This year's conference had many great sessions to choose from. I attended the following sessions:
1. Using service learning to increase student achievement.
2. Creating a vision of learning.
3. High school roundtable.
4. Maximizing your IPA membership.
5. It's not just joking around! Understanding school bullying through the eyes of a former victim.
6. 1st general session: How an educator saved my life
7. 2nd general session: President's Address and the state education.
8. 3rd general session: The achievement gap myth

Some sessions were better than others. All the sessions had something to offer. It was often difficult to choose between 8-10 options each session. Time between sessions was spent visiting with other principals, networking of sorts.

I ended the conference by having lunch with our former athletic director, Chip Jamerson. Chip is now an elementary principal in Ridgeview. It was great catching up with Chip and hearing about his first 2 months on the job as a building principal.

Diversity Course This Weekend

On Saturday, our class of principals, superintendents, and other grad students spent an afternoon with members of the Islamic Center of the Quad Cities. We were welcomed by members of the congregation and treated to a presentation on the world of Islam. Through my college studies and work as a world history teacher, I would like to think that I am well-versed in the cultures and religions of the world. But, I learned even more about the world of Islamic people in the United States. We were treated to a long question and answer session regarding our varying cultures. We were able to witness the late afternoon prayer. I am not sure, but I would bet that I am the only one of my friends who have attended a religious service in a mosque. It was quite an enlightening experience. This course is about diversity and tolerance.

Boys Conference Cross Country CHAMPIONS

A Great Start To The Day

Right in our own back yard. New Salem State Park. Have a great holiday weekend.

Cyberbullying and Internet Safety Seminar

All-school assembly....more info later

Congratulations To Our Golfers

Luke, Colin,& Caitlin for advancing out of golf regionals.

Spotlight Students For September

The following students were selected as spotlight students by the staff this month.

Back In Good Hands

The Blacktop Braggin Rights Trophy is back in Athens. With the series tied at three wins each, next year is a big game on the schedule. Hope to see everyone this Friday as the Warriors look to build on last week's big win with a victory over Auburn. See you at Auburn.

Good Luck Golfers

Today is the boy's golf regional tournament at Shambolee in Petersburg. Good Luck Athens and Greenview golfers.

Skills

Just another great skill that one of our students has. The things that some of these kids do outside of school as hobbies are often the last things you would guess they were interested in.

Japanese Visitors

During the week of September 19, Athens hosted two Japanese students as part of the Sister-City Program in Springfield. Springfield's sister-city is Ashikaga City in Japan. Ashikaga is located in the Tochigi Prefecture. The two students stayed with two separate families and attended school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday was spent at local historic sites and elsewhere.  The two students attended volleyball and football games, as well as, the homecoming dance.  In addition to the students, we were privileged enough to have the opportunity to visit with a middle school principal, English teacher, and school board member; all from Japan.  We did introductions, exchanged gifts (as is customary) and then discussed education and toured the  building.  Can you just imagine what they thought of our homecoming-themed class colors day? :)  The Sister-City Program held a Japan Night on Wednesday and the host families and principals of the local schools involved were invited to attend. It was a fun evenig of food, games, and presentations.  I think that our visitors and our host families all enjoyed the experience - communication and cultural differences aside.  

Japanese students and delegates

Thursday's Volleyball Game

A RED OUT for the American Heart Association will be held on Thursday, September 29 th at the Athens/Riverton volleyball game. Any person wearing the official Red Out shirt gets into the game free and is entered in a raffle for cash prize. Official Red Out shirts are available for purchase in the office or from Mrs. Swaney for $10.

Bonfire Tonight

The annual homecoming bonfire will be held tonight behind the library. The festivities begin around 745pm. 

Dodgeball

Dodgeball

Friday Night

DUI Simulator@school today

Roseboom (dressed as a cat) giving blood for first time

Jacob giving double reds at NHS blood drive

Jacob participating in fun with food

Brett gets a new hairdo

Cynthia getting peppered with cheetos

Brett getting peppered with cheetos

Fun with food

Lauretta catching some popcorn with a peanut butter covered face. Seniors win with 112 kernals

Trent at"fun with food"

James and Zach at fun with food

Flicker ball fun

Seniors vs Sophomores

Senior Spirit

Homecoming Week

This a crazy week for high school students, teachers and parents. Homecoming week is a fun filled week of games, dress up days and oh....a big football game and a silly dance.  The football team will be anxious to prove they are more like the 4th quarter team from last Friday, than the first three quarters. Monday night we have Open House from 530-700pm.  We also have our volleyball team playing at home. We have a busy day Tuesday with a DUI simulator and the National Honor Society Blood Drive. Thursday we will have our bonfire and the coronation for homecoming court. The game is on Friday against Sangamon Valley and the dance is on Saturday. I am sure the kids will have a great week.

Blake's New Hat!

Blake and the Junior girls clowning around @ lunch.

Catching Practice

Took a minute to watch the boys work in the great weather.  The corn makes a nice back drop.

Sitting In A Math Class Trying to Remember...........

Sitting in a math class as Ms. Cummings discusses f(x) . On the wall is a humorous poster that strikes a chord with me personally....Math illiteracy affects 8 out of every 5 people :)

Have a great day

9-11 Ten Years Later.

As we appraoch the 10th anniversary of the tragedies on and associated with September 11th, I would like to thank all those who serve and haved served this nation in its defense of our freedoms.  Like many of you, I have a history of military service.in my family. My grandfathers both served in WWII and Korea. My father served in Vietnam. My little brother just joined the ROTC at the Univeristy of Illinois with an eye on the Air Force and military intelligence.  I had actually  planned on being a police officer, like my father.  I also wanted a back-up plan in case I decided it wasn't for me. I studied education and completely enjoyed everything about teaching and coaching.  It is with a solid understanding of the desire to serve and a real-life appreciation for those that do, that I say "thank you" to all military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, and first responders that give of themselves for others every day they go to work. Have a great weekend - but please pause for a few minutes to remember those affected by the events of 9/11 and those still fighting the fight and protecting us every day.

Warrior Victory

Warriors 15-8 over Plains

Jealous

Those people who actually know me outside of "Principal Curry" know that besides work and family, I have three other passions: baseball, bicycles, and Starbucks.  Today, two crossed paths.  After a meeting in Springfield, I stopped by Starbucks for an iced latte to go and spotted this loaded touring bike outside. The bike was definitely loaded for the long haul. I went in and ordered and then got nosey. I looked around and noticed an Asian fellow in cycling gear. I asked if he was the owner of the bike outside. He said yes. We started talking and he told me his story. He is from Tokyo. He is a graduate student at Sophia University. His major is in Environmental Studies. He flew with his bike to Santa Monica, CA. He is riding across our great country by himself. He has to be in New York by mid-October so he can be back in Tokyo for class.  I told him that I plan to do the same thing when I retire. We exchanged business cards and I headed back to school and I assume he soon set out on the road. He said he rides 80-100 miles a day. He has a twitter site @Akira_usps. He also has a Facebook /akira620. Most of his posts are in Japanese.  I just thought it was pretty cool to meet someone doing what you want to do (but from Tokyo) cycling across our country, by chance on a short stop at Starbucks.  I told him I was jealous and that I will be doing the same thing someday.

Great Advice.

Crisp Morning

Needed a jacket for the ride in this morning. Not complaining - I will take this weather any day.  Quite a break from the extremes of late August.

What An Atmosphere!

I hope you were able to come out the AHS Sports Complex last night to watch the Warriors put it on the New Berlin Pretzels. Athens plays an outstanding ball game from the start to the finish.  It was a very inspired start to Sangamo Conference play.  Coach Knox and his staff had the boys ready for that one.  Next week we travel to Plains to play a Cardinal team that surprised many with a close loss to perennial power Auburn.  I hope to see all of you in Plains next Friday Night.

Baley Takes Out The Trash

Baley and 30 other students attended the TMD Kick off party on Thursday night. The evening included games, songs, team building, and fun.

All-tournament team. Holly and Sarah

Great Start To Season

Second Place In Athens VB Tournament

The Warriors feel just short in the championship game. Losing 25-19 to Orion.

Friday Night/Saturday Activities

One week is almost in the books. We have a jam packed weekend planned. FB hosts Mt. Olive tonight. VB hosts a tournament all day Saturday at AHS and CIS.  Soccer plays at home Saturday AM also. AJHS baseball also plays Saturday AM. The student parking area will be used as the staging area for the Fall Festival parade. The AHS complex will be packed on Saturday.  Hope to see many of you out there.

Reminders

We will have early dismissal all week. I think that our first real day has gone real well so far. Thanks to everyone who showed up for the FB scrimmage on Friday. 

B game at Olympia on 8/25

This game will actually be played in Minier.

Good Morning

Today is the day. Students are comng back to school. It is just a short day today. We will do schedules and run through an abbreviated day. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Getting Close!

Less than a week from now we all be back in school. This is one of my favorite times of year. Students start rolling in again for practice, check schedules, or just to visit. This last week has been great as far the weather is concerned as well. Lets hope it continues. We have made a couple of improvements over the summer that I hope will be well received. We have also done some painting and touch-up work around the building. We have a new student recognition program that we will roll out in September as well. Football, soccer, and volleyball are all in full swing, as is golf, swimming, marching band, flags, cross country, and cheerleading. School officially statrts Friday - but many students started last week. I am looking forward to everyone's return and hope you will all make it on Friday.

Registration At CIS For ALL Today.

Today is registration. We will be holding an all district registration at CIS. We are trying to save parents some driving and provide a comfortable environment for everyone. It may get a little congested at times, so please be patient as we try to improve the new plan as we go. I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces today and tomorrow. 

Working at Springfield Sharefest at Harvard Park Elementary School.

Mr Szoke, Adam, and I worked at the Harvard Park Elementary School - Extreme School Makeover. Quite a rewarding evening. The school was filled with volunteers. All joined in improving the learning environment for students in a building with 98% poverty rate. We are pictured with Principal Kim. Kim and many of her staff were on site tonight as well. We painted much of the second floor main hallway. Check out how you can help if you are interested. I know other Athens residents are signed up to work throughout the week.

Congratulations Mrs. Henrikson!

I just want to say congratulations to our School Nurse, Linda (Ary) Henrikson on her wedding today. Linda married Erick at New Life Baptist Church today at 4PM. Congrats on a beautiful ceremony and a wish for happiness in the future.

Welcome Our New A.D.

Mr. Tim Isringhausen has been selected to replace Chip Jamerson as our new Athletic Director. Tim has been in the district for several years now - most recently serving as a 5th grade teacher. Tim has big shoes to fill. Chip also served as our unofficial local sports historian and brought technology to the athletic department. Tim will do a great job, I am sure of it. Make sure you say "hello" to Tim at one of our many many sporting events.

COMING FAST.

It is hard to believe that registration is right around the corner. Next Wednesday and Thursday are our 2011-2012 registration dates. We will all be @ CIS. This change was made to accommodate parents with kids in multiple schools and to take advantage of the air conditioning available at CIS. Looking forward to seeing familiar faces as well as a few new ones next week.

Early Tech Tip

A new feature that we will be talking to you about at registration is mobile skyward. For those of you who are cellphone / internet savy, you get an early look at how it will work.  Simply go to the school webpage then tap on family access. Find the URL and change the information after the last slash (/)  to "mobile.w" This mobile site will run faster than uszng the skyward main site vja your mobile device. Remember that we have a lot of skyward functions turned off at this point for summer clean-up7. Let me know how it works for you.  We will have detailed instructions and a webpage link for everyone at registration. Gold luck and let me know how it works for you.

Summer Info

As we work on putting the wrap on 2010-2011, we will still be the office all of June and all of August. Mr. Curry will be around in July some as well. The webpage will be updated as we go. School activities don't end in May so keep checking the blog for updates, highlights, and info. Have a great summer.
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Graduation

It was a smooth graduation on Saturday. The students did a great job. Lindi, Jynelle, Amy, Kristen, Amanda and Emily all did well with their music and speeches. The heat was rough this year. I think it was the hottest one of my four graduations. I am also pretty sure that we had our largest crowd in the past 4 years. After the ceremony and throughout the day, as I attended several graduation parties, the common question was, "why don't we hold graduation @ Cantrall Intermediate - you know in the AIR CONDITIONING?" The answer to that is that we would have had to turn away about 500 or so people. CIS is much smaller than AHS. I knew we were in for a hot one when @ 6:30am it was to muggy out for a cup of coffee on the back porch. I hope all of you survived the morning and were able to enjoy the rest of a very special day.
Have a great week.
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Today

Today is the day - Graduation. 10:00 am in the gym. See you all there. It will be warm.
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Graduation Update

Just a few reminders before the big day arrives. Graduation will take place on Saturday June 4th at 10:00 AM in the high school gym. The doors will open around 8:45 AM and there are no tickets required. Both sides of the bleachers will be open and there will be seating in the gym floor area. Students should arrive between 9:00 - 9:15 AM. Students should congregate in the cafeteria area prior to the ceremony. I hope to see lots of families and friends in the crowd supporting our graduating seniors this year. If you have any questions, please call me at 636-8314. Have a great week!

G2 over

Litchfield defeats Rochester 6-3. 11am Sectional final. LHS and AMHS.
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