Morton Senior Javier Orozco prepares to face his opponent at a home match.| Morton Senior Javier Orozco se prepara para enfrentar a su rival en un partido.

Photo by Bill Calvert.

MORTON HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 201

Your Board of Education | La Junta de Educación

“I will never forget my first victory against St. Joseph High School as head coach. We won 66-10 back in 1999,” recalls Steve Eckert, Morton’s Head Wrestling Coach. This year will mark the end of Coach Eckert’s era as an educator and leader to Mustangs and mark the beginning of his retirement. After 20 years of dedication and impressive records—16 years of which he has spent asas the head coach—Morton will have to say goodbye to a great athletic leader. Having been a wrestler throughout his high school and college career, Coach Eckert graduated from Winona State University where he pursued a degree in Physical Education. “I went into the education field because as a teacher I feel we have more influence in a young person’s life than any other person,” explainsexplains Coach Eckert about his decision to become a Physical Education Teacher and coach at Morton. As head

coach, he has spent his years striving to teach Mustangs to work hard, persevere and to have a competitive drive both on and off the mat. “I still stay in touch with many of the guys and there are so many success stories. We have lawyers, doctors, mechanical engineers, an architect, policemen, firemen and too many teachers to count,” proudly sayssays Coach Eckert of his former students and wrestlers.Throughout the years, Coach Eckert has been a part of various successes;helping 19 student athletes become state qualifiers, producing 5 state medalists and having 16 straight winning seasons. This wrestling season will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable wrestling seasons for CoachCoach Eckert and his many Mustangs, a season that is sure to bring a new success.

garnering over 600 pairs of socks for donation to localcharities. The club also collected over two hundred toys forfor children from less fortunate communities.The less fortunate were on the minds of many Morton students driving some to even pay them a personal visit. Blankets, clothing, and hygiene supplies were collected by the Morton East Bible Club and hand-delivered to 20 homeless individuals in Chicago. Club members also requested food donations and thanks to the extra hard workwork of Morton East's cafeteria staff, Mustangs were able to provide the homeless with a warm meal.

To support the Student Government Association’s canned food drive, Morton East Principal Jose Gamboa was taped to a cafeteria wall for six lunch periods on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Students who donated were given a piece of tape to place on Principal Gamboa in an effort to pin him against the wall. Needless to say the event was a complete success with 1,864 canned food items donated to St.donated to St. Anthony Parish in Cicero.Stay kind, Mustangs!

Students from District 201 spent the month of December making a difference in their communities. Mustangs generously donated their time and energy to help the less fortunate.

TheThe Morton Freshman Center Library Staff collaborated with neighboring institutions to collect over 800 coats, scarves and gloves for donation to their own community members. "Now many families are prepared for the freezing temperatures heading to Chicago," said Board President Jeffry Pesek about the volunteer event, applauding the hard work of all those involved. The MortonMorton Freshman Center also orchestrated a gift giving event for local children. Members of the school’s faculty team randomly selected an ornament off a tree displaying the name of a child. Children would later receive presents hand-delivered by Mustangs.

Student donations were certainly a trend for District 201; Morton West Service Club ran a successful "Sock Drive"

On Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, Morton West High School students received a visit from Chicago Blackhawks Forward Ben Smith and Goalie Antti Raanta. Throughout the month of November, students participated in Goodwill’s Fall Haul; a charity eventevent promoting the recycling and reusing of goods to help the environment. Mustangs donated over 27,000 items to Goodwill beating over 1,000 other local high schools for the amazing grand prize; a meet and greet with the two professionalprofessional hockey players. Way to go, Mustangs!

“I was in shock. Then I freaked out and danced with my mom,” says Olivia Woods about the day she was told she would be receiving a four-year, full-ride scholarship to her dream school. The young senior will be attending the prestigious Oberlin College in Ohio nenext fall where she plans on pursuing a degree in the medical eld. Olivia was one of only 111 Chicago-land area high school students selected from a pool of 2,500 applicants to receive not only a full-ride scholarship for college, but to the school of her choice through the PPosse Foundation Scholarship. “I’ve always been interested in medicine,

and I would like to think I have the work ethic that would make me a successful doctor,” says Olivia of her future ambitious plans. For now, she is focusing on the nal semester of her high school career and her passion for the sport of running. “I went to state for trtrack and eld my junior year. Morton provided the team with breakfast and we decorated the van we used to drive down to Charleston. I was so proud of everyone, it was surreal , ” says Olivia of her favorite school memory. The senior is also a member of the volleyball team, NNational Honors Society, Freshman Mentorship Program and a student

ambassador. Her dedication to her studies over the past years and commitment to her teammates and club members has put Olivia on the road to success, a road she was fortunate enough to not have to travel alone . “My mom, my Aunt Jerry and my grandpa have consistently and actively beenbeen positive inuences in my life. They were the rst people I told [about my scholarship] and thanked. I’m very grateful for them,” says Olivia of her support team. The ambitious senior is just a semester away from graduation and says she plans on nishing her high school career off ststrong and is eager to begin the next chapter in her life.

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