School News

Join us for an Enchanted Fairy Tale at the Stonegate Banquet Hall

Date: Friday, April 26, 2024

Time: 4:45 p.m. - Arrival - Prairie Ridge North Gym
          5:15 p.m. - Buses Depart
          6:00 p.m. - 11:00 pm. - Dinner & Dancing

To purchase Tickets Online, click the link below. Or Purchase tickets on Saturday, April 6 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the front foyer.

Purchase Tickets Online

Prom 2024 Forms 

Dates & Times:

March 1 - 7:00 p.m.

March 2 - 6:00 p.m.

March 7 - 7:00 p.m.

March 8 - 7:00 p.m.

March 9 - 1:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m.

 

Ticket Information:

Tickets are $13 unless purchased with a credit card which incurs an additional fee. Tickets are available to purchase on February 1, click the link below:

Purchase Tickets

 

Musical Information:

"Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another.

With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan, and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.

Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre."

 

 

Three students from District 155 have been selected to join the Illinois High School Theater Festival’s All-State Company of She Kills Monsters at the 48th annual Festival held January 11-13 at Illinois State University. The All-State cast, crew, and pit orchestra are composed of top student performers, musicians, and technicians from Illinois. 

Crystal Lake South senior Caitlyn Kopera will be an assistant stage manager. Gator junior Emma Wagner is a member of the costume crew, and Prairie Ridge junior Evelyn Mahler was selected for the props crew. 

Over 220 talented students auditioned or interviewed and 85 were selected for the final production Company. 

“It is a huge honor to get to work with such talented people from across the state,” said Caitlyn Kopera. “To be the assistant stage manager for such a spectacular show is exhilarating and every second I spend working through this process is nothing short of amazing. 

Rehearsals for She Kills Monsters take place over several long weekends during the fall with final rehearsals occurring the last week before the actual performances.

“I cannot wait for my friends and family to be able to experience this fantastic show in the audience in a few short months,” said Kopera. “To have the opportunity to become a part of this second theater family is beautiful and I wouldn't trade them or this experience for anything in the world.”

She Kills Monsters is a drama-comedy play by Qui Nguyen that tells the story of Agnes Evans, an average woman who loses her parents and little sister Tilly in a car accident. Agnes embarks on an adventure to get to know her sister better by playing a Dungeons & Dragons module that Tilly had written, and discovers things she'd never imagined. 

Five District 155 seniors have been named semifinalists in the National Merit® Scholarship Program, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. The nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Liesel Bakk-Hansen - Prairie Ridge

Natalie DuShane - Crystal Lake Central

Madeline Gray - Crystal Lake Central

Avnish Khandeshi - Crystal Lake Central

Sarah Lanza - Prairie Ridge

Liesel Bakk-Hansen is vice president of the German club at Prairie Ridge and is also a member of the German National Honor Society. She is also involved in the music department in both jazz band and the pit orchestra. She is considering studying environmental science or the astronomical sciences.

Natalie DuShane is captain of the science olympiad, where she earned two fourth-place medals at state last year. She is also section leader and center snare for the drumline at Crystal Lake Central. Her other activities include concert percussion, math team, computer club,  as well as choir and madrigals. DuShane participated in the Com-Ed EV Rally over the summer — a Com-Ed sponsored women in STEM competition to build electric cars and race them. It gave 45 girls in Illinois $2,000 in scholarships for college.

“My two interests are music and STEM,” DuShane said. “I plan to major in computer science in the future because I've really fallen in love with it through our school's program.” 

Madeline Gray is co-president of NHS, president of Model UN, a group leader for legacy club, a member of math team, one of the captains of varsity scholastic bowl, and a mentor in the mentor program. She was All-Academic and an All-FVC selection for the CLC varsity soccer team, which finished third in the 2A state tournament last year. Outside of school she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, listening to music, watching soccer, and spending time with friends, family, and her three dogs (Violet, Kevin, and Margot). She is considering a major in business or law.

Avnish Khandeshi is captain of the CLC math team and state champion in biology during the most recent academic challenge (ACES) competition. Khandeshi also placed fourth in math at state ACES and earned a third-place medal at state with the math team. He is also involved in science olympiad, NHS, robotics, and  tennis. Outside of school, he enjoys playing board games and spending time with friends and family. He has also achieved a black belt in karate. Khandeshi is considering a degree in math, computer science, or biophysics.

Sarah Lanza is involved in the environmental club, academic challenge team, and science olympiad at Prairie Ridge. Lanza is passionate about child advocacy. She is a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and founded S.A.U.C.E, a student group that advocates for underserved youth and sells hot sauce to fundraise for local non-profits. She is an Illinois STEM Scholar and was recognized as a Coolidge senator by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. After high school, she plans to study biomedical engineering.

A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record  throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.

Nine students from District 155 recently earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent. 

Students recognized from District 155 include:

Melody Alonso - Crystal Lake Central

Joshua Carrasco - Cary Grove

Isaiah Herrera - Cary Grove

Josh Marineau - Prairie Ridge

Andrea Medina - Crystal Lake South

Christian Romero - Crystal Lake Central

Ryan Soli - Cary-Grove

Gwen Steeves - Cary-Grove

Vienna Tiria - Crystal Lake South

The criteria for eligible students include: a GPA of 3.5 or higher, PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program, or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade.

CLC senior Melody Alonso received a National Hispanic Recognition Award. Alonso is involved in band, choir, madrigal singers, and theatre. Outside of school, she is a member of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. She plans to  pursue music performance in college.

“It's nice to have this recognition as something extra to put on my college resume,” she said.

CG senior Joshua Carrasco was also a National Hispanic Recognition Award winner. Carrasco is involved in concert band, marching band, and plays in the drum line. He is also active in Latino leadership and robotics club. Outside of school, he enjoys drawing and design,  playing piano and making music with friends. After graduation, he plans to study engineering.  

“Being recognized by the college board makes me feel very proud of my achievements,” Carrasco said. “I am happy knowing that the work I put in is seen and it drives me to work harder to accomplish my goals.”

CG senior Isaiah Herrera was the recipient of a  National Hispanic Recognition Award. Herrera is in the marching band and the tech crew, building sets and working behind the scenes for plays, musicals, and other performances. 

“Outside of school I do karate, which I have done since I was little, so now I help teach classes,” Herrera said. “We teach everyone from little kids to adults and people with physical and mental disabilities.”

Herrera also enjoys studying politics and history. In the future, he plans to study political science or journalism. 

“Being recognized by the College Board gives me some much needed confidence that my efforts here in high school have been worthwhile and not all in vain,” Herrara said. 

PR junior Josh Marineau received a Rural and Small Town Award from the College Board. Marineau participates in National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Students. He is a member of the Prairie Ridge varsity soccer team and also participates in club soccer at a national level. Marineau also volunteers regularly at his church and in the community.

“I feel truly honored to be a part of a group of students that are known for their hard work and focus, dedicated to school,” he said. “Awards like these motivate me to keep going and pour my life into school and activities.” 

CLS junior Andrea Medina was a National Hispanic Recognition Award recipient. She is involved in Spanish club, women in STEM, speech team, model UN, ACES, and media club. 

“I love animals and spend lots of time with my dog,” Medina said. “I like to read, go hiking, and travel. I plan on hopefully attending Purdue and majoring in zoology in the future”

CLC senior Christian Romero earned a National Hispanic Recognition Award. Romero is a member of the Tigers soccer team. He plans to attend an in-state college to pursue a career in a STEM field.

“Outside of school, I like to talk with friends, watch my favorite sports teams, and be with my dog,” Romero said. “Being recognized for this achievement has motivated me to work even harder because I know that I am capable of achieving my goals.”

CG senior Ryan Soli was recognized with a National Indigenous Award. Soli is part of the math team and a member of the National Honor Society at Cary-Grove. He is also a member of the Trojan lacrosse team. 

“I really enjoy athletics and hanging out with people, but also love volunteering anytime I can,” he said. 

Soli has not made a college choice yet, but is considering studying law or mathematics. 

“It feels good to be recognized, but it feels better to just know all the hard work is paying off,” he said. “I'm always happy to just know I'm doing well, even if the whole world doesn't.

CG senior Gwen Steeves was a recipient of the Rural and Small Town Award. Steeves participates in musicals, plays, swing choir, Trojan Voices, A Capella Singers, CG buddies, and NHS. She is also involved with the Cary-Grove Performing Arts Center outside of school, teaching boys jazz, assisting four swing choir classes and a jazz class, working in the dancewear store, running various studio events, and taking jazz and ballet classes. 

Steeves has been accepted at Arizona State University and plans to double major in psychology and popular music, with a minor in dance.

CLS senior Vienna Tiria received a National Hispanic Recognition Award. Tiria is theatre president at Crystal Lake South and is a part of WiSTEM, Aevidum, and choir as well. Outside of school, she enjoys making art, playing piano, taking voice lessons, and creating music.

Tiria is still evaluating her options for college, but is currently thinking about studying graphic design and either minoring or double majoring in an area of music. 

“Being recognized for this achievement is such an incredible honor,” Tiria said. “I'm proud to be latina and to be able to earn an award that recognizes me for that huge part of my identity as well as my academic successes. Earning this achievement also made me realize how much the closest people around me have influenced my journey. I think of my mom and dad who have always been pushing me to put forth my best effort in school and in all other aspects of life. Their encouragement gave me a strong work ethic and sense of motivation each day and I can never thank them enough for it.”