Gordon Tech - Welcome to Gordon Tech

Gordon Tech News

Coming soon, the new and
improved GT website!

Athletic Fundraiser, March 20 -
Gordon Tech's first-ever Athletic Fundraiser will be on Saturday, March 20, starting at 4:00pm, in the GT Cafeteria and the Tom Winiecki Gym. We welcome anyone age 21 or over, who is interested in contributing to the future success of Gordon Tech athletics. Monies generated will go directly to help provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to compete successfully in their respective conferences. Tickets are $25 each and include admission and food. There will be much to see and do. Click here to view the event poster. For more information please contact our Athletic Director, Mr. Paul Chabura, 773-423-5115 or pchabura@gordontech.org.

GT Senior is "Rudy" Award Semifinalist -
GT Senior Tory Squires is one of the 30 semifinalists selected for the High School Football Rudy Award. The "Rudy" Award is named after former Notre Dame University football player, Daniel Rudy Ruettiger, who was the subject of a well-known motion picture, Rudy. The award honors inspirational players, not for athletic ability, but rather character, courage, contribution, and commitment. The winner and runners-up will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3, on the ESPN television network. The winner will receive a $10,000 college academic scholarship. Tory and two other semifinalists were profiled in a recent ESPN RISE article. ESPN RISE is ESPN network's multimedia creation intended to bring high school sports content to the 12 to 17-year-old demographic, via a published magazine and web-based and television network programming. To read the ESPN RISE article about why Tory was nominated and to vote for him, click here.

Academic Achievement Scholarships for Incoming Freshmen - Gordon Tech awards scholarships for top academically achieving students who will be Incoming Freshmen. These scholarships are known as the Fr. Blaski Scholarships, in honor of the late Fr. Henry Blaski, C.R., who was Principal of Gordon Tech from 1982-1991.

They are distributed thusly:
Highest Scoring Student on the GT Entrance Exam: $2,000
Second Highest Scoring Student: $1,000
Third Highest Scoring Student: $500

Also, the students with the highest scores and top grades from each of the following schools receive $1,000 Fr. Blaski Scholarships.
St. Andrew
St. Hyacinth
St. Ladislaus
St. Stanislaus Kostka
St. Sylvester
St. Viator
Queen of Angles

The Fr. Blaski Scholarships are awarded for the students' freshman year only.

National Honor Society adds 25 New Members -
Twenty-five juniors and seniors were added to the Gordon Tech chapter of the National Honor Society at the Induction Ceremony on Wednesday evening, October 21, 2009. They are Lauren Adejumo, Andriy Birkus, Justin Cagadas, Timothy Carroll, Roman Danchuk, Jason Echevarria, Fernando Eloisa, Sophia Fedachtchin, Gabriela Figueroa, Aimee Guiab, Damaris Jimenez, Hanna Jung, Brian Kacheris, Minji Kim, Evan Lines, Kyubum Moon, Zaira Ortiz, Samantha Pucci, Joseph Rook, Michael Rooney, William Snep, Samantha Stawiarski, Sophia Villenas, Huihun Yun, and Azieb Zemed.

GT Alumnus Appointed to High CPD Position --
Dave McNaughton, graduate of Gordon Tech High School and DePaul University, has been named the new Jefferson Park (16th) District Commander. He started with the Chicago Police Department in 1991. He was first assigned to the Shakespeare (14th) District, where he worked as a patrol officer and then as a tactical officer. From there McNaughton was detailed to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to assist in narcotics investigations.He was later promoted to sergeant and was assigned to the Prairie (21st) District. He moved to the 17th District, where he was a tactical sergeant.

McNaughton was promoted to lieutenant in 2005 and was assigned to the Ogden (10th) District, where he ran undercover operations. He went to the Bureau of Patrol, at Police Headquarters, in 2008, and was assigned there for about a year. He was promoted to the rank of captain and headed to the Austin District, which is where he was working until he was tapped for his new job in the 16th District.

GT Alumnus wins "The Next Iron Chef" Competition -
Jose Garces (Class of 1990) was the Season 2 winner of the Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef" program,in a dramatic finale in November. After graduating from Gordon Tech and then Kendall College's Culinary school, Mr. Garces apprenticed in Spain. He then went to New York, where he became well known of excellence in creating "Nuevo Latino" cuisine. Chef Garces moved to Philadelphia in 2000 and now has a number of restaurants there, with plans to open more in 2010. (Note: Information for this article was gleaned from various Internet sources.)

Yea Team! -

Gordon Tech students turn out to support the Football Rams at their first home game of the season, a Friday Night Lights match against Bishop McNamara H.S. on Sept. 4.

"Student of the Semester"Award Winners -
On Wednesday Evening, November 11, GordonTech honored those students selected by the faculty as Students of the Semester, for the First Semester of the 2009-2010 school year. (Due to the Block Schedule, there are four semester in each school year.) The selected students are: Joshua Mayes, Speech; Natalie Skominas, Speech; Samantha Stawiarski, English 4; Michael Jarmola, English 4; Joey LaPaglia, English 1; Natalie Martinez, Creative Writing; Stacy Heliotis, Drama; Emerald Millan, Drama; Patricia Soto, Art; Summer Rodriguez, Art; Patricia Soto, Spanish 1, Yun Huihun, Spanish 2; Kyubum Moon, Spanish 2; Celia Figueroa, Spanish 3; Jessica Amaya, French 1; Josse Sandoval, French 2; Marisol Garcia, French 3; Timothy Carroll, French 4; Steven Mack, Integrated Senior Math; Alyssa Simental, Integrated Senior Math; Alex Barrera, Algebra 2; Zaira Ortiz, Algebra 2; Nathan Alcazar, Geometry; Dejan Borjanovic, Geometry; Monica Mazur, Algebra !; Samuel Rarick, Algebra 2 (a freshman in a junior-level class); Samuel Rarick, Biology; Jessica Amaya, Biology; Tam Nguyen, AP Biology; Marta Baran, AP Biology; Nathan Alcazar, Chemistry; Kevin Hernandez, Chemistry; Joseph Rook, Physics; Sophia Fedachtchin, Physics, Jessica Guasso, Leadership Class; Camille Danolko, Leadership Class; Erika Hernandez, Intro to Physical Education; Damen Quiroz, Intro to Physical Education; Gabriela Figueroa, Physical Education 3; Zaira Ortiz, Physical Education 3; Emerald Millan; Physical Education 4; Andrew Mackenzie, Advanced Strength Training; Briana Torres, Health; Janel Almeida, Health; Alyssa Symental, Issues in Morality; Laura Ayento, Issues in Morality; Jocelyn Monterroso, Catholic Identity; Minji Kim, Catholic Identity;Michael Rooney, AP United States History; Michael Wilkerson, World & American Studies 3; Hanna Jung,World & American Studies 3; Joshua Mayes, World & American Studies 2; Gabriela Vidal-Haymes, World & American Studies 2; Alexandra Czajkowski, World & American Studies 1; Saad Jaffery, World & American Studies 1; Osagie Imanlihan, selected by Guidance Department; Isabella Riley, selected by Guidance Department.

Caribbean Flavored Fall Musical Wows Crowds -
Audiences flocked to the Portage Theater on Friday evening, November 13, and Sunday afternoon, November 15, to enjoy Gordon Tech students performing our Fall Musical, "Once on this Island." In addition, hundreds of elementary school students attended a special performance during the school day on Friday. "Once on this Island" is a Caribbean adaptation of the popular Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Little Mermaid," featuring a poignant story and a catchy score.

GT Alum Inducted into DePaul U. Athletic Hall of Fame -
Tom Kleinschmidt, "the kid from Gordon Tech with the golden shooting touch," was inducted into DePaul University's Athletic Hall of Fame on January 30, 2010. Kleinschmidt, a high school McDonald's All-American, played Men's Basketball at DePaul from 1991 to 1995. He ranks in DePaul's top ten in career points, assists, and steals. He led the Blue Demons to a 1992 NCAA Championship appearance and was an honorable mention All-American in 1995.

Boys Basketball Alums in the News -

Congratulations to former Ram superstar Jitim Young (Northwestern University), who recently signed a professional contract to play basketball in Israel.
Congratulations to former Ram superstar Tom Kleinschmidt (DePaul University), who is on the Mens's Basketball coaching staff at DePaul.
Congratulations to former Ram Lamont Swopes who is playing college Basketball at Carthage University.
Congratulations to former Ram Nick McCord who is playing college basketball at Benedictine University.
Congratulations to former Ram Jimmy Irmiter who is playing college basketball at Regis College.

GT Grad will become 1st Roosevelt U. Basketball Player -
Ray Lichter, a 2009 Gordon Tech graduate, is the first player added to Roosevelt University's 2010-2011 Men's Basketball team. After a 20 year absence from intercollegiate sports, Roosevelt University will again compete in seven sports, starting next season. In his senior year, 2008-2009, Lichter was the MVP of the Gordon Tech Men's Varsity Basketball team. He was also named to the All-Catholic League Team.

Girls Varsity Basketball Team places 2nd in Christmas Tournament
The GT Girls Varsity Basketball Team took 2nd place in the Mather High School Christmas Tournament. The Rams defeated University High School 61 to 47 in the semifinal game. Senior Kristin Nitka netted 21 points. Senior Alexis Martinez scored 16 points and gathered 17 rebounds to post her 20th career double-double, a GT record. Furthermore Martinez is quickly approaching 1000 points for her career, which will make her the first female player in GT history to accomplish this impressive feat. The championship game was a back and forth struggle. Luther North heaved a last-second desperation three pointer that banked in to give them the win 56-55. Kristin Nitka and Alexis Martinez were named to the all-tournament team. Gordon Tech begins their conference schedule on Monday, January 4 with a home game against St. Francis De Sales at 7:00pm.

ATTENTION: Boys Basketball Games Postponed by Weather -
The GT Boys Varsity and Sophomore Basketball games scheduled for Friday, January 8, at Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee have been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday, February 13, 2010, at 5:00pm and 7:00pm. The Freshman A&B games for Saturday, January 9, have also been canceled. A make-up date for these has not yet been scheduled

Martel Moore Named to All-Tournament Team -
Congratulations to senior Martel Moore (Learn Charter), a member of the Gordon Tech Boys Varsity Basketball team, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Luther North Holiday Tournament. Gordon Tech finished an impressive 4th place out of 16 teams with key victories over Oak Lawn and Luther North. Great performances were also turned in by seniors Danny Britt(St. Hilary), Izzy Rodriguez (St. Viator Elementary), Alex Retamozo (St. Andrew), Matt Olivera (Pritzker), and Jeremy Ryan (St. Viator Elementary).

Sophomore Boys Basketball Wins Consolation Bracket --
The GT Sophomore Boys Basketball Team won the Consolation Championship of the Notre Dame (Niles) Christmas Tournament. In the Consolation Semi-Finals, Gordon Tech defeated Maine East 67 to 53. Leading scorers for the Rams were Josh Mayes (Rogers Elementary) with 21, David Andrews (St. Philip Lutheran) with 20, and Patrell Green (St. Paul Austin) with 15. In the Consolation Championship Game, Gordon Tech defeated Lane Tech 59 to 44. Leading scorers for the Rams were Mayes with 17, Jerry Davis (Smyth Elementary) with 14, and Josh Kirkendoll (Skinner Elementary) with 11.

Frosh Boys Basketball 16-3 in "A" Games -
The Frosh Boys Basketball "A" team improved their record to 16-3, with a 44 to 34 victory over Hales on Saturday, Jan. 30. Alan Osinski led GT with 12 points and Jack Benson added 9. The Gordon Tech "B" team also defeated Hales 51 to 37. Eddie Hill scored 19, followed by Torian Lowery with 10, and Sam Rarick with 8.

Frosh Boys "A" Basketball Team Beats St. Ignatius -
The GT Freshmen Boys Basketball Team defeated St. Ignatius 50 to 40 in the "A" game, on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Devanchey Bell led GT scoring with 19 points. Alex Chavarria and Sam Rarick added strong contributions off the bench. Chavarria had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 deflection; Rarick had 7 points and 5 rebounds. The Rams lost the "B" game by 3 points in 2 overtimes.

Frosh Boys "A" Basketball Edges Loyola Academy -
The Gordon Tech Freshmen Boys Basketball Team defeated Loyola Academy 42 to 39 in the "A" game on Saturday, Feb. 6, handing Loyola only its second loss in conference play. The starting five for GT: Devanchey Bell, Pedro Bahena, Sam Rarick, Nick Huber, and Alex Chavarria all played well. Rarick had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks; Bell had 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 deflections; Huber had 2 rebounds and 1 deflection. Jack Benson led GT scoring with 20 points and Alan Osinski added 10 points. Alas, the Rams' winning ways did not continue into the "B" game.

'09 Graduate's Spectacular Scholarship Success -
David Scott graduated eighth in his class at Gordon Tech in 2009. He will be receiving more than $160,000 in scholarships and grants before he graduates from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. During the summer between his junior and senior year at Gordon, David taught English to children in Thailand.

Young Women's Leadership Academy -
Gordon Tech is proud to introduce a new club for our young women called the Young Women's Leadership Academy. The YWLA is a great new opportunity for our young ladies to discover and experience effective leadership, relational, and management skills that will enable them for success in school and in life. Through weekly seminars, monthly speakers, quarterly outings, and internship opportunities, our vision is to see GT's young women develop into responsible and confident young adults that are better prepared for college and beyond. Click here to see our brochure and find out more about the YWLA. If you are interested in providing more opportunities for the YWLA, please contact Sara Winkler at swinkler@gordontech.org or at 773-423-5024.

Student Newspaper Online --
The Gordon Tech student newspaper, The Ram Page, is now being published on line. New editions will be available every two weeks. To view the current edition go to www.gordontechstudents.org/rampage. Newer editions will be available on this website in the Student Life section under the Student Activities subsection.

Attention Parents! -
For a link to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission's article "The Financial Aid Process: Paying for College," go to the Parents section of the GT website and select the Articles page from the drop down menu. This was the information presented during the seminars on Parent-Teacher Night, Sept. 23.

Freshmen Football Defeats Leo to Open the Season -
Congratulations to the GT Freshmen Football team on an outstanding opening game, defeating Leo H.S. 28-8. Gordon was led offensively by running back Daniel Olaniyan (Lincoln) and quarterback Alan Osinski (Bell), and received an inspired defensive effort led by Nick Cappy (Bridge Elementary) and Daniel Fricano (Bridge). The GT Freshmen coaching staff includes alumni Mike Schaffrath, Joe Miller, and Edwin Almeida.

Freshmen Football Victorious over St. Laurence -
On Friday night, Sept. 11, our Freshmen Rams traveled to Burbank IL to play the Vikings of St. Laurence and we were victorious 34-6. Daniel Olaniyan (Lincoln Elementary) had an outstanding night with 4 touchdowns. The Freshmen offensive line, consisting of Justin Alonzo (St. Sylvester), Martin Munoz (St. Viator), Adrian Reyes (St. Viator), Patrick Watts (Victor Herbert), and Joey Lapaglia (Portage Elementary) did a great job of opening holes for Olaniyan. Daniel Fricano (Bridge Elementary) and Javier Ortiz (Albany Park) led the defense with some huge hits throughout the game.

We are GT! -
As shown in the banner below, made by Gordon Tech students, Gordon Tech's diverse student body exemplifies the motto on the Great Seal of the United States, E PLURIBUS UNIM, "Out of many, one." We are the USA. We are GT!

Football Rams Open Season with a "W" -

The varsity football Rams opened the 2009 campaign on August 29, with a big victory over the Lions of Leo High School. Marty Haderlein rushed for 149 yards on 28 carries to pace the Rams rushing attack. Quarterback Dylan Hicks (pictured at left) found a wide open Tim Jacks in the end zone for the first score of the game. Dylan finished 7/17 for 59 yards.Big Matt Olivera stood out on the defensive side of the ball finishing with seven total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback sacks.

Girls Volleyball Teams Start Season With Victories -
Congratulations to our Girls Volleyball Teams on their wins Thursday, August 27, against Northtown Academy. The varsity won by scores of 25-23 and 25-9. Our JV team won in three sets.

Gordon Tech Seniors (Class of 2009) Earn Prestigious Posse Foundation Scholarships -
Congratulations to graduating seniors Karl Sullivan (Uptown Christian) and Sergio Armandariz (St. Margaret Mary) on being awarded 2009 Posse Foundation Scholarships. Karl will be attending DePauw University, in Indiana, where he will also be a member of the football team. His scholarship will be worth more than $131,000 over four years. Sergio will be attending Trinity College, in Hartford CT, and his schoarship will be worth more than $154,000 over four years. Truly great accomplishments for these students who worked extremely hard at Gordon Tech. We are proud of you!

Eight GT Seniors Receive Vicariate II Awards --
The 10th Annual Vicariate II Leadership Awards Banquet was hosted by Bishop Francis Kane on Sunday, March 8, At the White Eagle Banquet Center in Niles, IL. Over 500 parents and awardees attended this event, whose purpose was to recognize and affirm outstanding youth leaders of this vicariate's parishes and high schools.

Eight Gordon Tech seniors received awards from Bishop Kane. Sergio Armendariz, Andrew Baniecki, Alexandra Calzada, Matthew Castillo, Kiana Reed, and Jelena Voynovich received Peer Ministry Awards. Timothy Maples received the Prayer and Worship Award, and David Scott the Community Service and Social Justice Award. Also present was Gordon Tech Campus Minister Fr. Joseph Malczyk, C.R.

First row, left to right: David Scott, Andrew Baniecki, Bishop Francis Kane, Matthew Castillo, and Timothy Maples. Second row, left to right: Sergio Armendariz, Kiana Reed, Jelena Voynovich, and Fr. Joseph Malczyk, C.R. Not pictured: Alexandra Calzada.

Cross Country Team Having Successful Season -

The Ram Cross Country Team was been very successful so far. The women runners have had a strong season, having a personal record at at every meet. They will finish the season the Oct. 17 weekend at the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) championships at Schiller Woods and at Regionals the following weekend.The male runners have had a solid season as well. Tim Carroll ran a 17:57 for 3 miles this year, his season best. The rest of the team followed in his path and consistently achieved personal records in their races. Times keep improving! The boys run the weekend of Oct. 17 at the Chicago Catholic League championships and then are off to Regionals on Oct. 24.

The Cross Country program this year has been developed to include strength training, hills, repeats, and long runs--all in one week! Coach Abbey Cullen (shown above at left, presenting an award during the annual Gt Cross Country Invitational Meet)is very proud of the team's development and improvement. GT students interested in running Track or Cross Country in the future should contact her at acullen@gordontech.org.

GT girls (in orange uniforms) competing in a Cross Country race.

Boys Soccer Regular Season Summary -
The Boys Soccer Team finished the regular season 7-8. Our victories were over Cristo Rey, Hope Academy, Universal, St. Francis De Sales, St. Rita, St. Martin De Porres, and St. Laurence. Over these games, we won by a combined score of 22 to 5. Our conference record was 3-2, good for 2nd place in the Chicago Catholic League. Our goal scorers this season were Felix Oppong (10), Qasim Sowemino (9), Andriy Birkus (3), In Sung Song (2) and Andy Mackensie, Carlo Alferez, Jon Montiel, Socrates Montiel, and goalie Mike Jarmola 1 each.