Saythala Phonexayphova came to America when he was 4, after a harrowing night escape from a labor camp in Communist-controlled Laos. John Soleanicov arrived when he was 6, fleeing inhumane conditions in Romania.
Lindsey Spudic waged–and won–a three-year battle with anorexia nervosa. Joanna Lins lost her mother to cancer just as the teenager was set to enroll in high school.
Each of these teenagers has a distinct story of emotional turmoil. Yet each has transformed the experience into an inspirational tale of achievement.
They typify the 10 Illinois high school seniors selected by a panel of 40 judges for the 15th annual baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. The team, modeled after the all-state sports teams picked by the Tribune, represents Illinois’ top students, based on academic performance, participation in extracurricular activities and community service.
This year’s competition drew a record 611 nominees. In addition to the 10 students who make up the All-State Academic Team, the judges also picked 60 regional runners-up. The brief sketches on these pages are simply a first layer of their extraordinary lives.
The top 10 winners hail from communities as divergent as urban Joliet to suburban Mt. Prospect to Downstate Belleville to rural Rockton, a community of 3,250 in northern Illinois. They come from graduating classes as small as 169 students to one as large as 1,056. One attends a parochial school. Two were born outside the United States. Two others are first-generation Americans.
The commonality among them is stellar academic performance. Each is ranked No. 1 in school. They all carry perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. Every one of them is enrolled in an honors or advanced placement programs. And their average ACT score is 34 out of a possible 36.
They boast resumes overflowing with academic honors. All 10 are members of the National Honor Society. Eight have won individual or team awards during regional math, science or scholastic bowl championships. Five garnered regional or state writing awards. Nine have received leadership awards.
“When I look at these kids, what I see is a positive and energetic look at our future,” said Maryhelen Matijevic, a social studies teacher at Hinsdale South High School who served as a judge. “There are not enough superlatives to describe them.”
But a stellar academic record was not the only attribute that propelled these students to the head of the class. After all, virtually every one of the 611 nominees carries a 4.0 grade-point average and is ranked among the top three in their graduating class.
“All of these students are academic all-stars,” Venetia Miles, a judge from Arlington Heights-based High School District 214, said of the nominees. “To pick the top kids, you’ve got to look above and beyond academics.”
Unlike the stereotype of bookish, nerdy scholars, members of the academic all-star team are well-rounded. Their extracurricular activities reflect a commitment that seems to require more than 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All but one play on a school sports team, including track, tennis, football, softball and wrestling. Six play in the band or orchestra. Seven write for the school newspaper or literary magazine.
And when it comes to community service, these academic all-stars could put many adults to shame. Most of the students volunteer at least five hours a week. They tutor children, visit the elderly, build Boy Scout trails, work on research projects at prestigious hospitals and organize Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and toy drives for underprivileged kids. Some of them have spent summers on church mission trips.
“I wonder when they have time to sleep,” said an incredulous Steve Puck, a judge from Illinois College in Jacksonville.
For Chidinma Ugonnaya Asonye, an academic all-stater from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, sleep is not always a prime consideration.
“I have to sacrifice sleep at times,” she said. “You have to define your priorities, and sleep can’t always be one of them.”
THE 2000 ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL ALL-STATE ACADEMIC TEAM
Kristel Adler: Always ready for a challenge
Kristel Adler has always been a math whiz.
But when the Downstate Belleville teenager found out she’d been selected to compete in the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics oral competition, she got a bit nervous. Her challenge: read and digest a somewhat obscure math and geometry book, solve three challenging equations and then explain those answers during a timed presentation before a panel of judges.
As always, Kristel met her assignment with zeal. Her efforts were rewarded when she took third place in the prestigious statewide math contest last year.
“I thought I did pretty decent, but normally the Chicago-area schools dominate, so I didn’t think I was going to win an award,” said Kristel. “But I studied for four months and I think I truly earned that award.”
Kristel, who plans to major in electrical engineering at Princeton University, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. She is ranked No. 1 in her class of 550 students at Belleville East High School. She scored 1510 out of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Her parents are Patti and David Adler.
Kristel boasts a laundry list of math-related awards. This year, she took first in the pre-calculus individual teachers council regional competition and, with classmates, took first place in the calculus team event. She also placed second in the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering math competition this year.
“I love math because there is always a right answer,” Kristel said. “I hate it when my English teacher says, `Well, that’s good, but it can be better.’ It’s not like that in math.”
But math is not the only subject in which Kristel excels. She garnered a seventh-place finish in a regional worldwide physics competition this year and a similar one last year. She also captured a fourth-place regional finish in the annual test given by the American Association of Teachers of German.
When she’s not cramming her brain with highly advanced math and science formulas, Kristel likes to play volleyball. She is co-captain of a team that made it to the elite eight in the state meet in 1997. She was voted most inspirational player this year.
Andrew Kimble: Wrestling his way to the top
For Andrew Kimble, excelling in school has never been a challenge. Since 3rd grade, the Minooka senior has maintained a straight-A average.
Athletic prowess, on the other hand, has not come as naturally.
So it’s no surprise that Andrew says his greatest achievement is not the 35 out of 36 he scored on the ACT nor the No. 1 ranking in his class, but being named to the Illinois High School Association Suburban Prairie all-conference wrestling team.
“I was proud of myself because I worked really, really hard in wrestling,” Andrew said. “Academics come easy to me, so awards for intellectual merit are not as exciting as they used to be. But I have to push myself to succeed in sports because I’m not the greatest athlete.”
Andrew, who plans to attend the University of Southern California in Los Angeles next year, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. Andrew attends Minooka Community High School. His parents are Mary and Ivan Kimble.
When Andrew joined the varsity wrestling team last year, he wasn’t good enough to be the top wrestler in his weight class. Consequently, he was bumped to a higher weight class, making his challenge even more difficult.
But the youngster spent hours every day practicing his skills, and his dogged determination led to a .600 season. Andrew finished fourth at the conference meet and was named to the All-Conference team.
“It made me feel like I could succeed at anything I put my mind to,” Andrew said of the honor.
Andrew also was a backup center on the football team. He’s a member of the school’s math club, works on the student newspaper, serves on student council and acts in school musicals.
He keeps up a demanding course load, including advanced placement physics and calculus and has won countless top finishes at regional math and science competitions.
Though he sometimes feels overwhelmed with extracurricular activities, Andrew said he’s never thought of slowing down.
“When you join a wide variety of things, you get to meet a lot of different people,” he said. “And that will help me out later in life.”
John Soleanicov: Goes after the big story
When students at Hononegah High School in Rockton were evacuated from school after a bomb threat last year, some expressed indifference or glee over the interruption.
But senior John Soleanicov seized the moment. As co-editor of the school newspaper, John began interviewing classmates and school administrators as they stood outside. Then, John and a group of staff writers stayed up all night reporting, writing, editing, laying out and printing a four-page special section of the newspaper.
The next day, they had 500 copies of The Current in classrooms. For the effort, John and his co-workers won a fifth-place award at the National School Newspaper Association annual competition.
“We were quite proud of ourselves because we had as much information in our stories as the local paper did,” John said. “Actually, I think we had better coverage. I’ve never worked so hard my entire life.”
John, who plans to attend Columbia University in New York City or the University of Pennsylvania, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. He is ranked No. 1 in his class of 373. He scored 1530 out of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. His parents are Pavel and Ana Maria Soleanicov.
When John joined the newspaper as a freshman, The Current was a two- to four-page section that came out every three months and was filled with commentary, poems and feature stories.
By junior year, John had become co-editor and helped convert the once fluffy publication into a hard-hitting newspaper.
Most recently, the staff published a two-page section on the school’s new student-athlete drug-testing policy. During the elections, they published an analysis on voter apathy among 18-year-olds. And they created quite a stir when they wrote about cliques at school and how damaging they can be.
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John has been active in his school’s closed-circuit TV show. A straight-A student, he’s a member of the school’s World Youth in Science and Engineering team and the Math Club. The Romania-born teen also is vice president of his senior class, runs track and is co-captain of the cross-country team.
Megan Gregory: Changing people’s lives
When Megan Gregory isn’t studying for her honors calculus, biology and geometry classes, singing in the choir, playing clarinet in the band or writing for the school newspaper, she’s volunteering.
Volunteering at the homeless shelter. Volunteering at the soup kitchen. Volunteering at her church. Volunteering at the local nursing home, at the forest preserve, at the Rosewood Therapeutic Riding Program for handicapped kids.
The Grayslake teen spreads her services across many agencies. For her considerable generosity, she received the prestigious Heikotter Memorial Award last year, given to the top 4-H Club student in each county.
“I felt honored because the award is a lot about leadership and community service and making a difference,” said Megan, who is president of her club.
Megan, who plans to attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. She is ranked No. 1 in her class of 590 students at Warren Township High School. She scored 34 out of 36 on the ACT. Her parents are Fred and Liz Gregory.
Though Megan had been an energetic volunteer for many years, a trip to McClure River in Virginia forever changed her life. As part of the Wildwood Presbyterian Church youth group, Megan fixed dilapidated homes for poverty-stricken residents.
“The trip allowed me to lift my anchor and sail from my safe middle-class suburban world into waters that were a little choppy,” she said. “My values about how I spent my time and energy changed completely and I wanted to keep giving of myself all year-round.”
Last year, Megan performed more than 220 hours of volunteer service, including starting a youth project at the soup kitchen, expanding a program at a homeless shelter and teaching Sunday school to youngsters.
Megan is a member of her school’s key club and has been named the Volunteer of the Year at Warren Township High School.
When she is not volunteering, Megan likes to sing, play her clarinet and ride horses. In 1997, she was named to the Congress Champion Horse Bowl Team.
Chidinma Asonye: Not afraid to test limits
Most adults probably do not even know what Pascal’s Triangle is, let alone the theory behind it.
But 18-year-old Chidinma Asonye sure does. In fact, the Flossmoor senior spent six months investigating the mathematical equation created by the French physicist and then delivered a highly technical analysis of it to a group of adult judges.
For her efforts, Chidinma received an “outstanding” award during the annual high school Afro-American Cultural, Technical and Scientific Olympics.
“It’s still a mystery how he [Blaise Pascal] came up with the pattern, but I spent six months exploring all the different ways he could have done it,” Chidinma said. “It forced me to stretch my mind more than you can imagine.”
Chidinma, who plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. She is ranked No. 1 in her class of 632 students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. She scored 32 out of 36 on the ACT. Her parents are Ibeabuchi and Uzunma Asonye.
Chidinma says she has been interested in mathematics and the sciences since she was a young child. She undertook Pascal’s Triangle because she knew it has stumped adults since Pascal created it in 1654.
Exploring the triangle’s various patterns and devising an explanation behind them was the easy part. To win the competition, Chidinma had to condense six months of investigation into a five-minute presentation before the judges. She also had to prepare for a barrage of questions about her work.
“In some ways it was intimidating, but I knew my subject backward and forward and upside down, so I didn’t think there was any question they could ask me that I wouldn’t know,” she said.
Chidinma plays the flute in her school’s band and sings in the choir. She also is vice president and political action chairman for the NAACP Far South Suburban Youth Council.
Chidinma, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria 19 years ago, plans to study biology and business management at Washington University in St. Louis and then move on to medical school. Eventually, she plans to work as a pediatric surgeon.
Christopher Raub: Sees healing in science
Christopher Raub scored a near-perfect 1580 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. He’s a straight-A honors student. And he’s ranked No. 1 in a class of 357 students.
Yet, the Arlington Heights teen says his greatest accomplishment came while tediously collecting and transferring patient data during a six-week internship at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Christopher was working with a team performing drug research on patients with malignant melanoma.
“I have earned many more distinguished awards and honors than this simple `job,’ ” Christopher said. “But I consider it my best achievement because it made me feel, for the first time in my life, that I was actually doing something concrete to help medicine move toward a wonderful goal.”
Christopher, who plans to attend Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. He attends Prospect High School. His parents are David and Judith Raub.
Christopher said cancer has touched his life–two great-grandfathers, a great-aunt and a piano teacher all died from the disease. But he said it wasn’t until he took part in the drug study that he saw the “incalculable” physical and emotional suffering cancer causes.
“Medicine, like all science, consists of very slow, tiny steps taken on the very long journey toward breakthrough solutions,” he said. “I hope to devote my career to sharing in the process of discovery and eventual breakthrough in an area of medical science that will make a difference in people’s lives.”
Christopher’s interest in science and biology was piqued six years ago when, as a 6th grader, he joined his school’s Illinois Science Olympiad. The team took sixth place in the astronomy competition at the National Science Olympiad.
Christopher then joined the Prospect High School team. During his sophomore and junior years, the team posted first-place finishes at the state competition. They won the regional meet this year.
Christopher also is co-captain of his school’s Scholastic Bowl team and was a Conference All-Star in 1998-2000. He runs track and cross-country and is a member of the debate team.
Lindsey Spudic: Overcomes life’s obstacles
Lindsey Spudic has never backed away from a challenge.
She has received only A’s on her report cards, despite carrying the toughest classes. She’s a star on her school’s volleyball team and softball team. She’s senior class president. And she donates 10 hours a week to charitable agencies.
But Lindsey faced the challenge of her life when she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. But with her characteristic will and determination, the Lansing teen overcame the disease and, today, she is at the top of her class. Beating the disease, Lindsey said, was the greatest achievement of her life.
“After a three-year war raging within myself, my perseverance and my courage have made me victorious,” she said. “It taught me not to give up.”
Lindsey, who plans to major in biology at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. She is ranked No. 1 out of 353 students at Thornton Fractional South High School. She scored 32 out of 36 on the ACT. Her parents are Debbie and Joe Spudic.
Lindsey, a member of the National Honors Society, is a born leader and a dedicated community activist.
As president of her senior class, she has spent much of her energy focusing on community-service programs. She has led food drives, visits to nursing homes and volunteering with Meals on Wheels.
Earlier this year, when a help-the-needy campaign launched by the Student Ambassadors club failed to capture the attention of classmates, Lindsey went from lunch table to lunch table cajoling students to donate money. In the end, the group raised almost $300 to buy Christmas presents for poor children.
For her tireless community service and leadership skills, Lindsey received the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award, an award given to sophomores in Chicago-area schools.
“This sounds corny, but I feel so fortunate because of what I’ve been given and of what I’ve survived, that I want to give back to others,” Lindsey explained.
Lindsey also is a member of her school’s pep club, math tutoring program, student senate and is on the executive board of her school’s Girls’ Club.
Justin Sadhu: Striving for perfect balance
Justin Sadhu has always been a left-brained person.
The Frankfort teen has excelled in mathematics, physics and other subjects associated with the left side of the brain. He has taken first place every year in the American High School Mathematics Exam at his school. And he finished first in the physics written examination in South Inter-Conference Association competition.
But last year, Justin set out to put his left brain and right brain in perfect balance. He took up poetry writing and has since had two pieces published in Lincoln-Way High School’s fine-arts magazine.
“Math and science have been like second nature to me,” Justin explained. “But writing poetry, that was more of a stretch. I want to be diversified in the things I do, and I thought this would be a good way to grow.”
Justin, who plans to major in biology, most likely at Harvard University, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. He is ranked No. 1 in his class of 1,056 students. He scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. His parents are Mathew and Annamma Sadhu.
Justin is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society and has participated in the University of Chicago Young Scholars Program for Mathematically Talented Students every summer. He is enrolled in advanced-placement statistics, chemistry and biology and maintains an A-plus average. He also is a much-decorated participant in the scholastic bowls, state math contests and science bowls.
But recently, he tried to balance his exposure.
Justin has always liked to sing, but this year, for the first time, he tried out for the school musical and landed a role in “Brigadoon.” Last summer, he embarked on a summer reading program and completed “War and Peace,” “Crime and Punishment” and “Anna Karenina.”
He also set out to write poetry. His first published piece, “Freedom,” expressed his view of the world based on the difference Christ makes. The second poem, “A Daily Ritual,” contained Justin’s ruminations about going to bed each night.
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“I like poetry because it allows me to express my true emotions,” he said.
Joanna Lins: An athlete as well as a scholar
Joanna Lins has never brought home a report card with anything less than an A. She scored 35 out of 36 on the ACT. She has won several science awards at her school. And she takes only honors classes.
Yet the Nazareth Academy teenager says her greatest achievement was receiving the Roadrunner Award on the cross-country team. The award, given to a student in each sport, honors athletic ability as well as dedication and leadership.
“The award symbolized all the time and energy I had put forth during my four years on the team, and I was very honored,” said Joanna, of Willow Springs. “I worked very hard in cross-country, and even though I didn’t win any state meets, I was proud of what I accomplished.”
Joanna, who plans to major in biology at Cornell University or Dartmouth College, was named by a panel of 40 judges to the baiduhai Illinois High School All-State Academic Team. She is ranked No. 1 out of 169 students in her class. Her father is Michael Lins. Her mother died about five years ago.
Joanna joined the cross country team as a freshman and spent two hours every night trying to improve her time. This year, she has whittled it to about 14 minutes on the 2.5-mile track.
Joanna also runs the 800-meter and 400-meter races on her school’s track team. Two years ago, she was named as an alternate to the 4-by-400 relay team at the state championship. Last fall, she received the Senior Student Athlete Award.
Joanna also received the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award, given to a sophomore who shows leadership in school and community activities.
When she is not running or studying, Joanna is volunteering. Though she was required to perform only 10 hours of community service, Joanna has matched that tenfold. She teaches religion classes in her parish, collects and donates gifts for the Community Health Nurse Association and volunteers for the Crossroads Youth Program.
Most recently, Joanna worked for the Concert for Cancer fundraiser in Tinley Park. Raising money for cancer research is important to Joanna because her mother died of ovarian cancer.
JUDGES FOR THE TRIBUNE ALL-STATE ACADEMIC TEAM
College admissions officers: Sara Guido, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington; Steve Puck, Illinois College, Jacksonville.
High school counselors: Frank DuBois, Homewood-Flossmoor High School; Delores Williams, Holy Trinity High School in Chicago.
Teachers: Wayne Able, English teacher at South View School in Danville; Dave Ammon, biology teacher at Roxana High School; Carol Frericks, elementary and middle school library director at Highland Elementary School in Meridian; Michael Foster, science teacher at Leo High School in Chicago; Sheila Fry, English teacher at Joliet Catholic Academy; Barbara Gottemoller, St. Teresa High School in Decatur; Michele Henry, art teacher at Apollo Elementary in Aledo; Ojii Hill, math teacher at Julian School in Oak Park; Maryhelen Matijevic, social studies teacher at Hinsdale South High School; Christine Kerry-Taylor, English teacher at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest; Judy Turner, English teacher at Schlarman Catholic High School in Danville; Bill Wright, history teacher at Glenbard North High School.
Principal: Sister Ann Marie Bonvie, St. Augustine of Canterbury School in Belleville.
School district administrators: Wendy L. Davis, superintendent, Lebanon School District 9; Maryanne Kelly, director of student personnel services at Maine Township High School South; Donald Kussmaul, superintendent, East DuBuque; Brent J. McArdle, superintendent, Lexington School District 7; Daniel Meyer, superintendent, St. Elmo School District 202; Priscilla Palmer, assistant superintendent, Posen-Robbins School District 143 1/2.
School board members: J. Jay Carroll, Vandalia School District 203; Roger Edgecombe, Warrensburg-Latham School District 11; Roger Pfister, Desoto School District 86; James Schmidt, Polo School District 222; Debra Shipley, Naperville School District 203.
Parent-Teacher Association members: Sandy Jurgovan, Posen; Lin Polk, Chillicothe; Linda Schoonmaker, Kankakee.
Illinois State Board of Education consultants: Jennifer Chan; Greg Davenport; Kathleen Doyle; Lilibeth Gumia; May Nunn; Anne Sustik; and Janet Steiner, board member.
School public relations: Stacy Holland, Lincoln-Way School District 210; Venetia Miles, Arlington Heights School District 214.Judges for the Tribune All-State Academic Team