Scholarship Alert (Seniors) - DG Rotary Club Charles Dickerman Scholarship

The Rotary Club of Downers Grove is now accepting applications for their annual Charles Dickerman Music Scholarships. Each year the Rotary Club of Downers Grove presents $2,000 scholarship checks to deserving high school seniors who reside in Downers Grove or the District 99 attendance area. Charles Dickerman was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Downers Grove. He was a nuclear physicist at Argonne National Laboratory who had undergraduate degrees in both physics and music. Charles stayed involved in music throughout his life and was an avid bagpiper!

Download the 2021 Charles Dickerman Scholarship Application:

tinyurl.com/DGRotaryDickermanScholarship21

Applicants must have their forms emailed by Wednesday, March 31, 2021. If selected as a finalist, candidates will then submit a video audition by Friday, April 23, 2021, and must be available for a virtual interview on the evening of Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The scholarship winners will be announced in May.

 

The qualifications to apply for this scholarship are:

• Be a graduating senior attending a public, private, parochial, or home school, and reside in Downers Grove or the High School District 99 attendance area.  
• Plan to pursue a post-secondary education program.
• Have participated in high school curricular music activities and/or extracurricular music activities.
• Composers and/or arrangers qualify for this scholarship.
• Pursuit of an undergraduate music major or minor is not required.
• Financial need is not a criterion for selection.

 These Charles Dickerman Music Scholarships are funded by proceeds from the annual Downers Grove Rotary GroveFest held each June in downtown Downers Grove.

 

Information:

Dave Humphreys

630-968-5526

musicscholarship@rotarygrovefest.com 

D99 Hosts the 2021 Chicagoland Regional Scholastics Art and Writing Exhibition

Community High School District 99 annually serves as host of the Chicago Regional Scholastic Art Show. This year's exhibition is hosted online, due to COVID-19 mitigations.

Please visit the 2021 Scholastic Art Show Chicago Region Exhibition HERE, or at:

tinyurl.com/ScholasticArtShow

695 students, and 109 educators at 46 schools participated in this year's competition. 1,739 entries were adjudicated across twelve media categories. 475 works were honored with awards.

Thank you to all District 99 Visual Art faculty who supported this year's Scholastic Arts Show as logistics coordinators, or as mentors to student participants. A special thanks is extended to Mr. Marty Voelker, who continues to serve the region as the manager and coordinator for the Chicagoland exhibition, and coordinated the collection of visual art for this year's virtual exhibition. 

 

DGS Choirs welcome Broadway Actor Eric Mahlum

DGS Choirs were thrilled to welcome Broadway actor Eric Mahlum for two days of virtual master classes with students.  Mr. Mahlum shared his experiences as a theatrical professional, including experiences on Broadway, experiences with national tours, and how to prepare for a professional audition.  Special thanks to DGS Fine Arts and the DGS Choral Boosters for sponsoring Mr. Mahlum's time with the students in the choral program at South High School.  

Mustang Artists at the 2021 Chicagoland Scholastics Exhibition

The Fine Arts Department at South High School in Downers Grove is pleased to announce the results of the judging from the 2021 Chicagoland Area Regional Scholastic Art Awards held at Downers Grove North High School.  695 student artists representing 109 arts educators submitted 1,739 works for adjudication.  475 total works were honored with recognitions. South High School visual artists merited 27 awards, including 5 Gold Key Awards, 7Silver Key Awards, and 15 Honorable Mention Awards. 

While COVID-19 necessitates  a virtual exhibition, the honor for students to be recognized through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is untarnished. The amazing display of student creativity is a testament to the wonderful art teaching that is happening in District 99.  

Art teachers from both North and South High School play an important role in putting the exhibition together.  “We are exceedingly proud of both the process followed by our student artists, and, of the products they all create.” said Glenn Williams, Fine Arts Department Chairman at South High.  “Scholastic Art Awards represent a high point of artistic achievement for a high school Visual Artist.”  "We also congratulate our visual art faculty for mentoring these students through the artistic process and for their spirit of professional volunteerism in all that they do to make this experience possible for students all around the Chicagoland Region. " For more information about DGS Visual Art, contact Glenn Williams at gwilliams@csd99.org.

To view a virtual gallery of all South High award winning Scholastic student work, 

CLICK HERE

GOLD KEY AWARDS (5)

Pamela Amaya-Regino (Drawing and Illustration) Loud Silence

Ashley DeAnda (Photography) no direction

Samantha Groseth (Art Portfolio) Uninhabited Melancholy

Samantha Groseth (Digital Art) Childhood Trauma

Alexis Pragides (Digital Art) Numb Online

SILVER KEY AWARDS (7)

Ashley DeAnda (Photography) Bones

Kayla Jordan (Photography) Light Through a Doorway

Katie McGuire (Mixed Media) Metamorph

Alexis Pragides (Drawing and Illustration) Worn and Done

Alexis Pragides (Painting) Rigged

Estee Raceala (Photography) I See You

Justine Young (Drawing and Illustration) Artist Expertise

HONORABLE MENTION AWARDS (15)

Pamela Amaya-Regino (Mixed Media) Ghost

Ashley DeAnda (Photography) Manos

Corina Karling (Drawing and Illustration) Equal Share

Corina Karling (Digital Art) The Teenage Artist is Dead on their Notebook Paper

Zach McGrath (Digital Art) Bean Suit

Katie McGuire (Mixed Media) Waiting for Color

Allie Murphy (Photography) My Grandpa's Plane

Katie Novotny (Photography) Passing By

Laila Simmons (Photography) The Light Hangs Over My Mom

Maximus Soja (Photography) Autumn

Sarah Weigel (Photography) Beauty in Nature

Sarah Weigel (Photography) We Are All Related

Carly Zubrzycki (Photography) Road To Recovery

Carly Zubrzycki (Photography) Bloom

Carly Zubrzycki  (Photography) Perfect Victim

Downers Grove Music Club Scholarships for Seniors

The Downers Grove Music Club will present a $1,000 College Music Award to at least one student enrolled in Band, Choir or Orchestra in District 99. Award recipients will be selected based on the merit of their musical accomplishments, as described on the application form, and the quality of the musical performance provided on the video recording portion of the application.  The goal of these awards is to recognize and reward those students who have worked very hard in their musical pursuits and have achieved a high level of accomplishment as a musician.

Seniors may apply for one of the two possible College Music Awards ($1,000 each).  The link to this award page on the Downers Grove Music Club website is DGMC College Music Award.

Who Is Eligible?
Any District 99 high school band, choir or orchestra senior, who will be graduating during the this academic year and who will be attending college in the fall of 2020, is eligible to apply.

How Can I Apply?
The application must be completed and submitted, along with a performance video recording, as directed on the submission website, by April 1, 2021.  Award recipients will be chosen only from among the applications received by the deadline date.

All entries must be DATE/TIME STAMPED by the deadline date of April 1, 2021 to be eligible for review.

Questions should be sent to:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org.

Downers Grove Music Club Rising Stars Scholarship

$400 Awards for Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors in Music

The Downers Grove Music Club will present multiple $400 Rising Stars Music Awards.  Awards are given to students enrolled in the District 99 high schools in the areas of Band, Choir or Orchestra.  Award recipients are selected based on the merit of their musical accomplishments, as described on the application form and the quality of the musical performance provided on the recording portion of the application. The goal of these awards is to recognize and reward those students who have worked very hard in their musical pursuits and have achieved a high level of accomplishment as a musician.

Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors may apply for one of the multiple Rising Stars Awards ($400 each).  The link to this award page on the Downers Grove Music Club website is DGMC Rising Stars Music Award.

Who Is Eligible?
Any  District 99 high school band, choir or orchestra student, currently in his/her freshmen, sophomore or junior year, pursuing a musical educational experience during the summer in which tuition is charged, is eligible to apply for a Rising Stars Award. Pianists may apply in the musical category with which they are affiliated.
 

Award recipients are required to perform the following year at the DGMC Rising Stars program, which will be a virtual event in 2021.

How Can I Apply?
The application, and submission of performance video, must be completed online.

All entries must be DATE/TIME STAMPED by the deadline date of April 1, 2021 to be eligible for review.

Questions should be sent to:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org.

DGS Alum and Student Teacher Featured in CBDNA Virtual Halftime Show

 

South High School alum Jake Burrows and current student teacher Mr. Matthew Welch were part of the National Championship Football Game Halftime.  The College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) sponsored a virtual halftime performance of Beyonce's "End of Time" featuring 1,500 musicians from 200 schools located in 45 States and Puerto Rico.

ENJOY THIS VIDEO - congrats to Jake and Mr. Welch!

DGS 2020-2021 All-State Musicians

 

7 student musicians from South High School in Downers Grove have been selected through competitive audition to participate in the 2020-2021  Illinois Music Education Association All-State Bands, Orchestras, and Choirs.  Due to COVID-19, in-person auditions were suspended in 2020. Student musicians submitted video auditions which were evaluated by a panel of adjudicators. The top placing scores participated in the District Music Festival, was held (virtually) on November 21, 2020.  The top placing scores from District Festivals around Illinois earned a nod as All-State musicians.

“Earning a spot as an All-State musician is the pinnacle of performance success for a high school performer in Illinois” said Fine Arts Department Chairman Glenn Williams.  "The long term performance success of these student musicians can be attributed to families, private teachers, and sender school music teachers.  South High School is proud of these students for their diligence and commitment to musical excellence and is pleased to have them represent our school, our district and our community as such wonderful musical ambassadors."

CHORUS
Diana Kwak (12) - Soprano II

ORCHESTRA STRINGS
Liudas Davies (10) - Violin II

Philip Okunev (11) - Violin II

Olivia Roti (11) - Viola

JAZZ BAND

Derek Reynolds (12) - Trombone

VOCAL JAZZ

Zoe Boyd (12) - Alto

Nathan Frewen (11) - Tenor