Conant HS Principal's Newsletter
May 2025
From the Principal ...
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans." — John Lennon
Dear Parents and Guardians of Seniors,
You blinked—and just like that, it’s graduation season. It may feel like only yesterday you were carefully buckling your child into a car seat or labeling school supplies for their very first day of kindergarten. And now, you’re preparing to watch them walk across the stage and receive their high school diploma.
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with our seniors to review end-of-year events, expectations to keep our school community safe, and time to reflect on their experiences at Conant. We celebrated their accomplishments and took time to look ahead, together, toward the exciting futures that await them!
It has been a true honor to witness this class grow into the thoughtful, resilient, and ambitious young adults they are today. Many are finalizing college decisions, some are preparing for military service, and others are stepping into career and technical training pathways. This season is both joyful and bittersweet—as we say goodbye to their high school years and look forward to all that lies ahead.
No matter where their journeys take them next, they will always be part of the Conant Community—Once a Cougar, Always a Cougar. Thank you for your continued partnership, your support, and the trust you’ve placed in us throughout these meaningful years.
Julie Nowak
Principal
Final Exam Information for Seniors
Seniors may qualify for an exemption from their last semester final examination in a course if the student: has at least a “C” average in the course; has no more than five absences from the class; has never been truant from the class; has never been suspended from the class; and is not incomplete on assignments required by the teacher of that class. Days that involve college visits, field trips, admin/student services appointments, and testing days will be excused when counting the absences of students. Mental health days will also not count toward the final number of absences.
Seniors have the option to still take their final exams even if they qualify for the exemption. Seniors who are not exempt from last semester's final examinations will take their examinations at the regularly scheduled times for semester examinations. Questions regarding senior final exam exemptions can be directed to your senior’s administrator.
Lockers
All incoming freshmen will be assigned a hallway locker for use during the 2025-2026 school year. Any other student seeking a hallway locker must complete an electronic form that will be made available to students in May.
Class of 2029: For Students Entering 9th Grade
Welcome parents and guardians of the class of 2029! Please be sure to read all information mailed and emailed to you in the coming weeks to best prepare your student for high school. We look forward to a wonderful four years!
All incoming ninth-grade students are required by the state of Illinois to have a physical examination and their current immunizations on file in the health office. Physical examinations must be completed on the Certificate of Child Health Examination form version dated 12/2023 or later. These forms are available on the school’s website under Families - Health Services. Examinations not completed on this form or completed on IHSA forms cannot be accepted to meet the requirement of your student’s ninth grade physical. Your student may not begin school until this requirement has been met.
All incoming ninth-graders are required to turn in a dental examination. The dental exam must be dated within 18 months of the May 14, 2026 deadline. Dental examination forms will need to be turned into the nurse’s office by May 14, 2026. The dental exam form is available on the Conant website under Families - Health Services.
If your student is planning to register for a summer sports camp, a physical must be on file in the high school health office prior to the first day of camp. Your student’s physical must have been completed within the last 13 months for your student to participate. Health records will not be received from the junior highs prior to the start of summer sports camps. It is the responsibility of the parents to make sure there is a physical on file in the health office prior to the first day of sports camp.
Immunization Requirement for Students Entering 12th Grade
Please note the meningococcal B vaccine does not meet the school requirement. If your student does not receive their immunizations for religious reasons, a state approved exemption form must be submitted to the nurse’s office prior to completing the registration process as this is a new immunization requirement. If your student does not receive immunizations for medical reasons, a physician’s note is required and must be submitted to the nurse’s office prior to completing registration.
If you have any questions, please contact the health services office at 847-755-3662.
Please do not wait until the last minute to get this vaccine. Doctor’s offices do run out of the vaccine and receiving the vaccine at a local pharmacy can be very costly.
From the Conant Boosters ...
Who are Conant Boosters and what do they do? Conant Boosters are parents, staff, and members of the community who organize events throughout the year to support students and raise funds for Conant High School.
What did we do this year to raise money?
Orchestrated the region’s premier Craft Fair
Provided concessions at every home volleyball game
Coordinated multiple Dine to Donates, including Krispy Kreme and Dave & Buster’s
Hosted a successful Adult Trivia Fundraiser at Chandlers
Operated bi-weekly Spirit Wear sales at the Cougar Spirit Store
Managed the 50/50 Raffle at Homecoming
Arranged Kona Ice treats at football games
Where does the money go?
Supporting the creation of a stunning new Marquee
Eye-catching outdoor banner for the scoreboard
Scholarships awarded to selected Seniors
Mini Grants supporting Activities, Clubs and Athletics
Vibrant Vinyl Decals for concession and spirit store roll-up doors
Exciting Student Incentive prizes throughout the year
Refreshments for open house events
Dynamic Freshman Kick-off event
Memorable Post-Prom event
Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped at one of the many Conant Boosters events this school year! The continued success is only possible when parents become involved through membership and sharing of their time and talents.
See how you can get involved at www.conantboosters.com. We Need You!
Traci Garcia and Cristina Zajac
Conant Booster Co-Presidents
Find the Conant Boosters online!
conantboosters@gmail.com | Facebook@Conant High School Boosters. | X@Conant_Boosters
In Memory of Samantha Gadomski
On April 23, Conant Softball hosted Schaumburg for our Gray Game—a special event to honor the life and legacy of Sammie Gadomski.
Sammie was a four-year softball player at Conant who returned after a successful career at North Central College to coach JV. She passed away this February, just before her 26th birthday, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. In her memory, Conant Spring sports and the MSL softball conference have united to host Gray Games to raise awareness and support for brain cancer research.
We were honored to have Sammie’s parents and family, former travel ball teammates, Conant alumni, current student-athletes from other sports, and so many fans in the stands. The support was overwhelming and deeply appreciated—it truly showed how much of an impact Sammie had on everyone who knew her.
Conant came away with a 4–3 victory in a storybook finish. Ava Falcone—who was given hitting lessons by Sammie as a little girl—set the tone with a leadoff home run and sealed the game with a diving catch to save the tying run in the final inning. It was a perfect day filled with heart, community, and purpose and showed the power of unity. We truly believe Sammie was smiling down on us—proud of the love, unity, and strength shown in her name. 🩶
Recognitions
Cheerleading - Congratulations to Amanda Schweinebraten and Christina Schweinebraten-Melone on being inducted into the Class of 2025 IHSCCO Hall of Fame. Their hard work and dedication to the Conant High School Cheerleading program and the sport of Cheerleading in the State of Illinois is much appreciated. Both are well deserving of this outstanding award!
Conant Competitive Activities have made a strong impact this spring season! Most recently, Conant Math Team, Journalism (The Crier), and Science Olympiad all represented us at State. Journalism finished 8th overall, with Leyla Yurtsever placing 3rd in Feature Writing, Zehra Ozcan finishing 2nd in Editorial Writing, and Adriana Buchanan finishing 1st in Infographics! The Science Olympiad Team excelled with Evelyn Qiu and Krisha Dave coming in 1st Place in Astronomy and Krisha Dave and Atinna Zhang coming 1st Place in Astronomy. Way to go Cougars!
Senior Sunset
Conant High School is very excited to send our Seniors off in style this year with our Senior Sunset celebration for our Class of 2025 on May 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the stadium. We are grateful for our Boosters, Conant parents, and Student Council who have helped us prepare for this memorable event.
Thank you for supporting our seniors—it truly takes a village!
Dates to Remember
Note: Conant High School will be closed over the summer due to construction. The front office will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 pm. Monday to Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.
5/19 GRADUATION REHEARSAL 8:15AM-10:30AM MAIN GYM
5/19 SENIOR PANORAMIC PICTURE 10:30AM-11:00AM STADIUM BLEACHERS
5/19 SENIOR SUNSET 6:00PM-9:00PM STADIUM
5/20 SENIOR BREAKFAST 8:00AM-11:00AM BELVEDERE
5/21 FINAL EXAMS - PERIODS 2,3,4 8:15AM-1:05PM
5/21 GRADUATION 7:30PM NOW ARENA
5/22 FINAL EXAMS - PERIODS 5,6,7 8:15AM-1:05PM
5/23 FINAL EXAMS - PERIODS 1,8 8:15AM-11:25AM
5/23 END OF SECOND SEMESTER - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
5/26 MEMORIAL DAY (BUILDING CLOSED)
6/2 FIRST SEMESTER SUMMER SCHOOL BEGINS
6/12 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING 7:30PM AD CENTER
6/19 JUNETEENTH (BUILDINGS CLOSED - NO SUMMER SCHOOL CLASSES)
6/20 BUILDINGs CLOSED
6/24 FIRST SEMESTER SUMMER SCHOOL ENDS
6/25 SECOND SEMESTER SUMMER SCHOOL BEGINS
7/4 INDEPENDENCE DAY (BUILDINGS CLOSED)
7/17 SECOND SEMESTER SUMMER SCHOOL ENDS