Sports
Esports gaining ground as serious sport in Illinois schools
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Esports has not been around as long as NCAA basketball but it’s becoming just as popular on some college and high school campuses. In a FOX 32 special report, we take a closer look at this fast-growing after-school activity. When classes are done for the day at Naperville North High School, many […]


NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Esports has not been around as long as NCAA basketball but it’s becoming just as popular on some college and high school campuses.
In a FOX 32 special report, we take a closer look at this fast-growing after-school activity.
When classes are done for the day at Naperville North High School, many students head outside to play their favorite sport.
Right now, that’s anything from baseball to tennis to lacrosse.
Even though it’s spring, there are dozens of other students playing another favorite sport—still inside the school.
Esports is also known as competitive video gaming.
“Our varsity and JV teams are not your traditional things you would find perhaps outside in other sports and events at a high school,” said Chris Terpstra. “I have several freshmen on varsity teams and I have several juniors and seniors that might be on the JV team.”
Terpstra is the general manager for Naperville North’s esports team.
When he’s not managing his 80-student roster in the ten different titles they compete in, he’s working in the school’s special education department.
“Everything within esports has a great way of breaking down a lot of the barriers that society has put up for us,” he said. “I think what esports does is allow us to reach out to the students that maybe wouldn’t have an outlet for perhaps their interests. Not everybody is going to go out and compete on an athletic field.”
While Luke Bourgeois was already involved in other school activities when he joined esports last year, he says this one made him feel the most comfortable.
“I’ve never had a club where I could nerd out with my friends as much as this,” Bourgeois said. “I just feel like I belong here.”
This year, the sophomore is on the varsity Super Smash Brothers and Rocket League teams, and he’s captain of the varsity Pokémon Unite team.
He says his parents weren’t very optimistic about him playing esports at first, and then they saw how much success he and his teammates were having.
“At state, they obviously have some college scouts and at this most recent Smash Bros tournament I was talked to by a coach from Syracuse and from Michigan State,” Bourgeois said.
“There’s 20 colleges on the table, but it’s been narrowed down to some of them and the big offer is one of them,” said Hinsdale Central senior David Collins.
That’s how many colleges are trying to recruit Collins to play on their esports teams.
“He is our first to get a scholarship for doing this. He’s the first one to pursue it in college,” said Sam Norris.
Norris is the head of esports at Hinsdale Central High School.
“We’re not the biggest program, but we have our niche. We found it and we really enjoy playing Super Smash Brothers,” he said.
Playing that zone has paid off for them, and they’ve got the hardware to prove it.
Norris says his players are also developing other valuable skills, just as they would playing any other sport, like communication and flexibility.
“A lot of it is the yelling but it is cool to see when they end up strategizing at the tournaments,” Norris said.
“I know for me, personally, I’ve gotten so much out of it and I’ve grown so much as a person through the time and energy that I’ve put into my team and into this program,” said DePaul University senior Kylee Walters.
Walters is one of the 250 students who competes on DePaul’s esports team. She’s a player, a team captain and what’s also called a “Streaming Demon.”
“I know it would be an absolute dream to work somewhere in the gaming and technology industry,” Walters said.
“We just recently expanded this space. We doubled in size because we were hitting a hundred-plus students coming into the gaming center per day because students want to be here,” said Jeffery Fricke-Waters.
Fricke-Waters is the esports coordinator for DePaul.
“Community is at the core of what we do. I have seen so many times students walking in and they know nobody. They really just like playing Fortnite. They walk in to the gaming center and they walk out with their best friends,” he said.
With numbers like that, Fricke-Waters says esports is DePaul’s largest student program.
“We have the most engagement. We have the most students that are coming in having that touch point with the university,” said Fricke-Waters.
He says students who pass through are majoring in several different subjects, not just computers, and that there are different job opportunities to pursue in esports after school.
“Helping to manage teams or you’re doing design work for them, or HR. They are just as much of a company as Verizon,” Fricke-Waters said.
“The gaming industry is bigger than movies and music combined. It’s just what kids are doing and seeing now. It’s how they interact with each other. It’s how they interact with the world a lot of the times,” said Ben Bruce.
Bruce is the chair of the IHSEA, the Illinois High School Esports Association.
Similar to the IHSA, this organization runs full-length seasons for all of the popular video games students are competing in along with a few tournaments—like one called the Midwest Battleground, where high school and college teams from multiple states competed in February.
“We have 120 high schools and over four thousand students competed with us in the last year. We see it continuing to grow,” Bruce said.
According to Statista.com, an online market research database, esports revenue in the U.S. is projected to reach $1.2 billion this year.
“We’ve been gathering data on clubs and organizations inside the high school space,” said Bubba Gaedert.
Gaedert is a senior lecturer at the College of Esports in London and the president of the Video Games and Esports Foundation here in the U.S.
He says studies have shown students involved in esports improve academically.
“So the numbers we have right now as attendance goes up by 10%, which is a big deal. That’s a big number in the education system to have a percentage to go up throughout the school year, as well as a GPA increase of about 1.4,” Gaedert said.
Just like other athletes, many schools require esports teams to keep up their grades and attendance if they want to compete.
With the surge in esports showing no signs of stopping, DePaul’s Streaming Demons may soon be just as popular as its Screaming Blue Demon basketball team.
“I think we are right on the edge to really overpass where some of our athletics are,” Fricke-Waters said.
Both of the high school teams we interviewed practice once a week in person for about two hours and have a few other sessions online.
You also had to try out for these teams and yes, they have playbooks and game tapes to study just like other sports teams.
The Source: The FOX 32 Chicago Investigative Team reported on this story.
Sports
Huntington Beach loses again to formidable Mira Costa in volleyball regional final – Orange County Register
MANHATTAN BEACH — Sequels rarely live up to the standard set by the original and that was evident in the rematch between the Huntington Beach and Mira Costa boys volleyball teams. Eight days ago in the CIF-SS Division 1 final, Huntington Beach went toe-to-toe with the Mustangs in a five-set thriller that the Mustangs won. […]

MANHATTAN BEACH — Sequels rarely live up to the standard set by the original and that was evident in the rematch between the Huntington Beach and Mira Costa boys volleyball teams.
Eight days ago in the CIF-SS Division 1 final, Huntington Beach went toe-to-toe with the Mustangs in a five-set thriller that the Mustangs won.
But on Saturday night, the Oilers were swept by MaxPreps’ top-ranked team in the nation, 26-24, 25-20, 25-16, in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final at Mira Costa High.
With the victory, the Mustangs (36-2) earned a trip to Fresno for the inaugural CIF State Championships for boys volleyball on Saturday May 31.
Huntington Beach (36-5) was rolling in the first set but was unable to hold on to its nine-point lead and also lost Colin Choi at a crucial point in the frame.
According to Oilers coach Craig Pazanti, Choi didn’t step on his teammates’ foot, he just rolled his ankle on his own after a big swing at the net. He returned in the second set but was unavailable for the final part of the first set.
“You know, we lose our best passer at the end of set one,” Pazanti said, “and who knows, would’ve, should’ve, could’ve, but I’m guessing if he doesn’t get hurt, we win set one. And you know, maybe it’s a different mental approach to the rest of the match. But give them (Mira Costa) a ton of credit.”
Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder concurred with Pazanti about Choi’s brief absence from the court.
“I think Colin injuring his ankle in that first set really was a change.” Snyder said. “I think we were coming back, but that opened the door and just our momentum completely shifted when that happened. And I honestly think that first set probably would have been won by Huntington if that didn’t happen. And this match would have been completely different.”
Oilers outside hitter Logan Hutnick had a match-high 17 kills and opposite Ben Arguello had nine kills.
Cooper Keane had a team-high 16 kills and Grayson Bradford added seven kills and 5.5 blocks.
The 6-11 Bradford was a towering figure at the net for Mira Costa, which had a 7-4 advantage in total blocks over the Oilers.
Pazanti looked back on the Oilers’ accomplishments this season, which include winning the Sunset League for the first time since 2016 and finishing the season 36-5 as a CIF SoCal Regional finalist.
“We played, including tonight, and if you include the Top 10 in CIF, including the two teams that finished in the finals of Division 2, played 21 matches against the Top 10 in CIF this year and we were 17-4, against the top (teams),” Pazanti said. “So we don’t duck anybody. Year to year, we’re going to play against the best competition, and that’s how we get better. It would have been nice to get one more match, but you can’t be disappointed when you have that kind of a season.”
Sports
Nelson, 4x400m Relay Win NCAA Titles
Story Links RESULTS GENEVA, Ohio – The Bethel Royals earned two national titles – one from Grant Nelson in the 400m dash, and 4x400m relay. Nelson won his first individual national title as he ran down John Carroll’s Barsheer Alharami in the final 80m and held off UW-LaCrosse’s Collin Conzemius to win in […]

RESULTS
GENEVA, Ohio – The Bethel Royals earned two national titles – one from Grant Nelson in the 400m dash, and 4x400m relay.
Nelson won his first individual national title as he ran down John Carroll’s Barsheer Alharami in the final 80m and held off UW-LaCrosse’s Collin Conzemius to win in a time of 46.678 seconds. Conzemius was 2nd in 46.680, Alharami was 3rd in 46.80, and Bethel’s Jacob Parent was 4th in 47.01.
The 4x400m relay team of Jacob Parent, Josh Thomsen, Victor Lelinga, and Grant Nelson earned the Royal’s back-to-back national titles in the event, this time, in a Division III record time of 3:06.52. Parent got out to a strong start and handed off to Thomsen in the lead. Thomsen battled with UW-LaCrosse’s Andrew Hackbarth through leg 2, and closed hard to hand off in the lead. Victor Lelinga had the fastest split of his life (46.84) to hold onto the lead into the final exchange. Grant Nelson once again held off UW-LaCrosse’s Collin Conzemius with the best split of the race, 45.34 seconds to give the Royals the title.
Jayson Ekiyor wrapped up his Bethel career with a 4th place finish in the 110H. Ekiyor hit hurdle 2 in the 110H, but managed to work his way through the field and into 4th with his time of 14.24. Ekiyor also placed 9th in the 400H with his time of 53.35.
Kelsie Sealock added two more All-Americans to her trophy case as she totalled 15 All-Americans in her career. Sealock placed 4th in the 100H with a time of 13.90 seconds, and 8th in the 400H with a time of 62.01.
Shalom Sulungaine made Bethel history, becoming the 1st Royal to earn All-American status in the women’s outdoor 400m dash. Sulungaine ran a program record 54.69 seconds to place 8th.
Anna Speratos ended her season with a top-10 finish in the hammer throw. Speratos had the 2nd best mark of her career with 52.00m / 170’7″, placing her 10th overall.
Sports
‘Monday Night At The Pit’ For LANL Interns!
Scenes of a previous ‘Monday Night at the Pit’ where Lab summer interns and the like meet and greet and enjoy a free picnic and play sand volleyball. Courtesy/UCLA By GEORGIA STRICKFADENThe United Church of Los Alamos Food and sand volleyball, at The United Church of Los Alamos Starting June 2, The United Church of […]

Scenes of a previous ‘Monday Night at the Pit’ where Lab summer interns and the like meet and greet and enjoy a free picnic and play sand volleyball. Courtesy/UCLA
By GEORGIA STRICKFADEN
The United Church of Los Alamos
- Food and sand volleyball, at The United Church of Los Alamos
Starting June 2, The United Church of Los Alamos is kicking off our tradition of “Monday Night at the Pit” where Lab summer interns and the like meet and greet and enjoy a free picnic.
We’ve got sand volleyball and a place to hang out and meet each other. This will continue every Monday all summer.
Join us at the volleyball court picnic tables near the corner of Canyon and Central, across from the Aquatic Center.
Dinner’s on us starting at 5:30 p.m. – we’re all about having fun and making you feel welcome!
Check us out at www.UnitedChurchLA.org.
Sports
Stevenson girls, Naperville North boys win state titles in thrilling fashion
After winning the past two IHSA girls state water polo championships, undefeated No. 1-ranked Stevenson (36-0) was going for the three-peat Saturday evening against No. 5 Lyons in its home pool. Trailing 4-2 after three quarters, the Patriots’ dynasty was in jeopardy of a huge upset by the Lions. But they came through in the […]

After winning the past two IHSA girls state water polo championships, undefeated No. 1-ranked Stevenson (36-0) was going for the three-peat Saturday evening against No. 5 Lyons in its home pool.
Trailing 4-2 after three quarters, the Patriots’ dynasty was in jeopardy of a huge upset by the Lions. But they came through in the fourth quarter to pull out a 6-5 victory to raise the first-place trophy for the seventh time in school history.
It was the 15th top-three trophy for Stevenson since taking second place in 2005, and its seventh first-place trophy since 2015.
After losing to the Patriots 18-9 on March 15, Lyons (23-6-1) played a fantastic game. Junior Avery Watanabe lofted a shot into the left corner of the net for a 4-2 lead 20 seconds into the third quarter.
The second goal by Stevenson’s Victoria Duncan from close range cut the lead to 4-3 with 6:25 left to play in the defensive struggle. Then Stevenson’s Jillian Carlson scored on a rebound goal to deadlock the score at 4-4 with 4:52 remaining.
Stevenson junior Olivia Spieth missed a penalty shot with 4:13 to go, but she got her own rebound and scored to give the Patriots the lead for good at 5-4. Then Spieth scored her third goal off of a Lyons turnover for a 6-4 lead with 1:19 left.
“I think it was definitely a challenge for us. We came back strong and we definitely wanted it,” said Spieth. “Honestly it was our defense that did it because offense wins games, but defense wins championships is what our coach (Jeff Wimer) always says.”
The Lions kept their hopes alive when freshman Maddie Wieczorkiewicz scored on a rebound goal past goalie Elsa Kusevskis to cut the gap to 6-5 with 35 seconds to play. But the Pats were able to run out the clock to seal the win and set off a huge celebration by the home crowd.
“They had a great game plan. We played into their hands, and fortunately we were able to overcome it,” said Wimer, who has 13 top-three trophies at Stevenson since 2008. “We’re very resilient, many times they’ve been down in games and they’ve come back and both goalies (Lyons goalie Delaney Judkins) played outstanding.”
Senior Maya Mladjan scored the first two goals for Lyons before teammate Isabella Recker’s goal gave the Lions a 3-2 lead which they held at halftime.
“All I can say is we tried our best and the last time we played Stevenson we lost by like 10 goals,” said Lyons coach Megan Jacobs, whose team beat York 14-11 in overtime in the semifinals. “We got all of our nerves out on Thursday (in the quarterfinals), and we’re ecstatic to take second.”
No. 2-ranked Naperville North (28-7-1) lost to Stevenson 9-7 in the semifinals before defeating York (22-6) 12-9 in the third-place game. Ava Podkasik scored 4 goals for the Huskies in the third-place game while teammate Payton Schrier had 3 goals. Emily Jensen had 4 goals for the Dukes while the Huskies got 4 assists and 2 goals from Molly Depies.
Boys championship
The IHSA boys state water polo championship was a game for the ages Saturday night at Stevenson as No. 2-ranked Naperville North trailed No. 1-ranked two-time defending state champion New Trier 6-2 at halftime.
But the Huskies (32-4) completely outplayed the Trevians (32-3) by shutting them out 5-0 in the second half to take home their first state championship in school history by a score of 7-6.
Naperville North’s stunning comeback started innocently enough as a goal by Mason Hofmann 51 seconds into the third quarter cut the lead to 6-3. But then Hofmann scored again just 27 seconds later to pull within 6-4.
Senior Jack Reif, whose Mom (Kelly Reif) is Naperville North’s head coach, cut the lead to 6-5 with 2:59 left in the third quarter before Hofmann’s third goal from the point tied the game at 6-6 with 5:32 to play.
Then came what proved to be the game-winning goal as Caden Tsao scored from close range to the left of goalie Zach Asinski. Huskies goalie Caleb Uson was flawless in the second half.
“We’ve been in situations like this and we never gave up,” said Hofmann, whose team took third in the state last year and now has five top-three trophies in school history. “We really just opened up the middle in the second half and it allowed our center (Reif) to drive in without a double team.”
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead 1:14 into the contest on a goal by John Riordan (2 first half goals). But New Trier rolled off five unanswered goals for a 5-1 lead midway through the second period.
“To be able to shut them out in the second half was incredible. We just had a lock down plan on No. 11 (Hank Woodman), and if we could limit his chances we could win a state championship,” said Kelly Reif, whose team was outshot 24-20 overall. “I feel very pleased to have the opportunity to be Mom and coach, and it is such a special bond I have with this team.”
The Trevians did have a shot hit the crossbar with 1:14 to play, but the Huskies were able to run out the clock after a save by Uson with eight seconds to go.
“They made a good defensive adjustment, and we just sort of ran out of time in the second half,” said New Trier coach David Rafferty-Flatter. “They have a lot of good players on that side of the pool, but I’m super proud of our guys.”
York (28-7) won the third-place game 9-5 over Whitney Young after losing to New Trier 8-6 in the semifinals. The Huskies beat Whitney Young 17-10 in the semifinals. Tim Jensen had 4 goals and 2 assists for the Dukes in the third-place game.
Lyons’ Avery Watanabe (10) moves the ball forward during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Stevenson’s Caroline Bichkoff (11) and Elsa Kusevskis (1) celebrate their win during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Delaney Judkins (1) with a block during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Stevenson’s Elsa Kusevskis (1) with a block during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Maya Mladjan (9) is pressured by Stevenson’s Jillian Carlson (6) and Dhanani Seneviratne (4) during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Stevenson celebrates their victory during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Avery Watanabe (10) tries to defend against Stevenson’s Caroline Bichkoff (11) during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Isabella Recker (3) looks to shoot past Stevenson’s Allison Bichkoff (13) during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Head Coach Megan Jacobs is thrown in the pool after her team took second place against Stevenson during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Lyons’ Isabella Recker (3) gets wrapped up by Stevenson’s Olivia Spieth (10) during the IHSA State Finals of the Girls Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Mason Hofmann (6) looks for an open teammate over New Trier’s Hank Woodman (11) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s John Riordan (3) shoots and scores over New Trier’s Ethan Kim (10) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Mason Hofmann (6) looks to shoot against New Trier during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Jack Boudeman (4) shoots over New Trier’s Caden Carberry (8) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
New Trier’s Caden Adrianopoli (2) celebrates a goal over against Naperville North during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
against the Naperville North fans celebrate a goal during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s John Riordan (3) tries to block a shot by New Trier’s Caden Adrianopoli (2) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Jacob Podkasik (7) tries to block a shot by New Trier’s Ethan Kim (10) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Jacob Podkasik (7) looks for an open teammate during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North celebrates their win in the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Caleb Uson (1) reacts after stopping a late 4th period shot during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Jack Reif (2) shoots over New Trier’s Brendan Fijol (9) during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Jack Reif (2) shoots against New Trier during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North’s Caden Tsao (11) shoots against New Trier to put them up during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Naperville North celebrates their win during the IHSA State Finals of the Boys Water Polo Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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College track & field: Senior grad Gorton becomes two-time All-American | Local Sports
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Sports
Keystone Middle School hosts annual Day of Awesome
Keystone Middle School, 501 Opportunity Way in LaGrange, hosted the annual Day of Awesome event for its students. Headed by the school’s You Belong group, Day of Awesome, which took place May 22, was a school-wide event to promote inclusivity and connect students together, according to Ian Gould, Keystone Middle School school counselor. “Three years […]

Keystone Middle School, 501 Opportunity Way in LaGrange, hosted the annual Day of Awesome event for its students.
Headed by the school’s You Belong group, Day of Awesome, which took place May 22, was a school-wide event to promote inclusivity and connect students together, according to Ian Gould, Keystone Middle School school counselor.
“Three years ago, I said let’s try this out, and it has evolved from there — this is our big day,” Gould said. “The kids have given a lot of the ideas about what they want.”

The event, which usually takes place outdoors, featured a variety of activities throughout the school for students to participate in when not in their classrooms, he said.
With the help of many contributions, the activities included a slushy machine, a photo booth, inflatables, beach ball volleyball, giant cup pong, cornhole, giant Jenga and many more.
According to Gould, each grade level had the opportunity to participate in the fun.
The students returned to their classrooms where each teacher had a designated activity.
“I think it’s a really, really fun event,” said 13-year-old Aurora Polosky, You Belong student ambassador at Keystone Middle School. “It’s a way to reflect on the year and our accomplishments.”
Over the last month or so, students were able to earn tickets as part of PBIS, or positive behavioral interventions and support, for good behavior, by following classroom rules or simply being kind to another student, Gould said.
Students had the opportunity to use their tickets as entries to win prizes, like local business gift cards or a Kendra Scott necklace, he said.
“What this day really brings is a lot of connectivity, that there are people who wouldn’t always go outside their cliques,” Gould said. “This day is for everyone; it’s a big community effort.”
The You Belong group is a collection of around 60 students and 15 student ambassadors who help make the school a better place to learn by including everyone through acts of kindness or activities, Gould said.
The Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County, which has programs in a variety of local schools, created You Belong as a way to combat student loneliness, he said.
“I just wanted to include people; I know a lot of people around the school don’t really have friends or get left out all of the time,” said 13-year-old Hannah Fletcher, You Belong student ambassador at Keystone Middle. “I wanted to be one of those people to help out, and make everybody feel like they have someone to talk to and hangout with.”
Zoey Allen, 12, and a You Belong student ambassador at Keystone Middle, likes the program.
“People who aren’t normally friends are having fun together,” Zoey said. “I feel like this program has done a lot.”

According to Gould, many school employees, local businesses and organizations collaborated to bring prizes and activities to the students, including the school custodians and food service workers.
Partners included Becca’s Choo Choo, Beth Moore, The Lucky Penny Café, Carlisle Golf Course, Romeo’s Pizza LaGrange, The Bulldog Pub and Grille, Tiger Martial Arts, The Barn: Salon and Spa, Subway of LaGrange, the LaGrange Lions Club, GTO Spacewalk of Grafton, RAK Photobooths, Keystone Middle and High Schools PTA, parent volunteers, the MHARS Board, Jessica Jones and Mike Ferrer.
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