2025 Irish Wrestling Invite Saturday December 6th, starting at 9am.
Watch it on the Irish Live Youtube Channel!
It will be broken up into 3 streams.
Start here:
https://youtube.com/live/htipETaO9q0

On Friday, the Fighting Irish Wrestling Team was in action at home, picking up two wins against Beardstown and Mendota. A special CONGRATULATIONS to senior Sammie Greisen (3 time IHSA State Qualifier and 6th Place All-State finish in 2024) for becoming the FIRST female in Seneca High School history to reach 100 Career Wins! Sammie earned her 100th career win with a Fall over Valerie Manz from Mendota. The team will be home all day on Saturday for the annual Irish Invite in the New Gym starting at 9:00 AM. Great job, Irish! #IrishPride ☘️

Seneca 51
Beardstown 27

106 Jacob Borchers B by FF
113 Chris Thompson S by FF
120 Raiden Terry S Tech Fall 21-6 over Manny Burgos B
126 Wyatt Coop S by FF
132 Kellen Brown B F :42 over Ethan Othon S
138 Mike Kucinic S F 3:21 over Alejandro Gil B
144 Devon Daemicke S by F :33 over Juan Pablo Chavez B
150 Parker Jones S by MD 14-6 over Alex Avila B
157 Chase Rod S by FF
165 Maddox Medrano B 4-2 over Gunner Varland S
175 Gunner Looker B by F 3:16 over Gryphon Wills S
190 Landen Venecia S F 1:46 over Diego Lopez B
215 Logan Haverback B F 1:53 over Elliott Geier S
285 Landyn Ramsey S by FF

Girls Varsity: Haiden Lavarier S F 3:11 over Ava Krious B

Seneca 58
Mendota 17

106 Double FF
113 Cam Chapman S by FF
120 Wyatt Coop S by FF
126 Raiden Terry S by FF
132 Ethan Othon S by F :26 over Gavin Stevenson M
138 Trayvon Rucker M by F 2:40 over Mike Kucinic S
144 Devon Daemicke S by FF
150 Komen Denault M by TF 18-2 over Parker Jones S
157 Gunner Varland S by MD 14-2 over Gavin Evans M
165 Chase Rod S by F 1:03 over Felipe Gonzalez M
175 Gryphon Wills S by FF
190 Landen Venecia S by F 1:01 over Aaron Torres M
215 Payton Gagliardo M by F 1:09 over Elliott Geier S
285 Landyn Ramsey S by F 4:38 over Reese Lane M

Girls Varsity: Sammie Greisen S by F :32 over Valerie Manz M

Seneca Record: 3-1

On Friday, Mrs. Foster's Accounting students attended the INCubator Showcase at the College of DuPage. This is an event they will be invited to attend next year if they take Seneca High School's new INCubator class focused on entrepreneurship!

There were 44 different business pitches. Each student business had a table on display with prototypes, websites, marketing materials, etc. The student entrepreneurs gave a short pitch to the students (“potential customers”). At the end of the event, the students voted on the business idea they liked best. #TheSenecaWay ☘️

Congratulations to freshman Audrey Robinson for being named this week's Success at SHS winner! #TheSenecaWay ☘️

Seneca Triangular Meet vs. Beardstown and Mendota Tonight, 12/5 at 5:30pm.
Watch it on Irish Live!
https://youtube.com/live/53ouA_4z_-8?feature=share

Fighting Irish vs Marquette Men's Basketball , Friday December 5th. JV@5:30 Var@7pm
Watch it on Irish Live!
https://youtube.com/live/zKtBJZJze8E?feature=share

The SHS preschool Christmas Program was absolutely wonderful today! Every child shined with joy, confidence, and excitement as they sang and performed. Their hard work truly showed and it was clear how much they enjoyed sharing the holiday spirit with everyone. Mrs. Read's ECE program is such an incredible opportunity for our high school students that gives them the chance to mentor, support, and build meaningful connections with the younger children. Seeing both groups learn from each other and grow together makes this event extra special each year! #TheSenecaWay ☘️

The Seneca High School Band and Choir will hold their annual Holiday Concert in the SHS auditorium at 7:00 on Wednesday, December 10. Please invite your friends and family to join us for a night of wonderful music! ❄️

The Fighting Irish Wrestling Team opened their season last night with a meet at home against Herscher and Sandwich! The team picked up the win against Herscher before falling to a tough Sandwich team. The Irish will be in action again TONIGHT against Beardstown and Mendota in the Old Gym at 5:30 PM. They will also be home all day Saturday for the annual Irish Invite in the New Gym starting at 9:00 AM. Good luck this weekend, Irish! #IrishPride ☘️

📸: Photos courtesy of SHS senior Isabelle O'Neal

Seneca 54
Herscher 27

106 Gage Cassani H by FF
113 Chris Thompson S by FF
120 Raiden Terry S TF 18-3 over Caden Shroyer H
126 Ryder Travelstead H F 1:35 over Wyatt Coop S
132 Ethan Othon S F :28 over Jonah Longlois H
138 Everrett Osenga H F5:29 over Devon Daemicke S
144 Alex Mendez H F 1:43 over Avery Phillips S
150 Parker Jones S F 1:09 over Carson Barrera H
157 Chase Rod S by FF
165 Gunner Varland S by FF
175 Matt Bauerly S by FF
190 Gryphon Wills S by FF
215 Colton Carson H 10-2 over Landen Venecia S
285 Landyn Ramsey S F 1:18 over Kaden Schlutt H

Sandwich 47
Seneca 34

106 Kyle Blanchard San by FF
113 Chris Thompson Sen MD 10-0 over Hunter Whitecotton San
120 Raiden Terry Sen F3:27 over Connor Blanchard San
126 Dom Urbanski San F 3:48 over Wyatt Coop Sen
132 Ethan Othon Sen F 1:35 over Lincoln Minard San
138 Logan Murphy San F 4:54 over Mike Kucinic Sen
144 Jaxson Blanchard F :53 over Avery Phillips Sen
150 Jack Forth San F 5:17 over Parker Jones Sen
157 Cooper Corder San TF 17-2 over Chase Rod Sen
165 Gunner Varland Sen F :1:15 over Brody Stone San
175 Josh Kotalik San F : 34 over Gryphon Wills Sen
190 Landen Venecia Sen F 1:35 over Daniel Arriola San
215 Kaden Clevinger San F :54 over Elliott Geier Sen
285 Landyn Ramsey Sen by FF

Seneca 1-1 record

The Fighting Irish Wrestling Team faces Herscher and Sandwich at 5:30pm on Thursday, December 4th.
Watch it on Irish Live!
https://youtube.com/live/yuYB8dMFpW0?feature=share

CO₂ Cars 🏁

Mr. Kirkton’s Intro to Tech classes recently wrapped up their Transportation Unit. Throughout the unit, students problem-solved while designing their own CO₂ cars and gained hands-on experience manufacturing them from balsa wood in the Woods shop. They followed a set of design specifications while applying key physics concepts such as mass, acceleration, and aerodynamics to create the fastest vehicle possible. The unit concluded last week with a racing tournament to see which design came out on top. This project highlights the innovative, practical learning experiences at the heart of our CTE programs! #TheSenecaWay ☘️

ECE Senior Spotlight 🏫

Meet Ms. Maliya Gottschalk! Maliya is in Mrs. Read's ECE class. After graduation, she plans to attend IVCC for two years to get her associates in labor and delivery. "Opportunities don't happen, you create them."

"Maliya has grown into an amazing leader and role model in my classroom these last four years. She has a smiling face I enjoy seeing everyday. She truly is a special young woman! I know she is going to do great things after SHS." Love ~ Mrs. Read

☘️ THIS WEEK AT SHS ☘️ #IrishPride

Turkey Trot 🦃

Seneca High School held their annual Staff, Family, and Friends Turkey Trot 5k fun run/walk this morning. The annual event is organized and sponsored by School Resource Officer Ken Sangston, who started the run to add to the positive culture at SHS. There were over 20 runners and walkers who participated this morning. For the staff awards, the fastest hen turkey was Eva Bruno and the fastest gobbler turkey was Ken Sangston. The First Place overall non-staff was Callum Wright, Second Place was Lane Weber, and Third Place was Brady Fort. The First Place four-legged runner was Riggins! ☘️

The Fighting Irish Basketball team secured another VICTORY tonight at the 2nd Annual Huskers Hardwood Tipoff Tourney against the Newark Norsemen, 61-55! The Irish were led by senior Brayden Simek with 20 points. Brady Sheedy contributed 13 points, Jesus Govea had 12, and Zeb Maxwell pitched in with another 10. The Fighting Irish will be back in Serena on Friday to wrap up pool play against the Hall Red Devils at 5:30 PM. Keep it up, Irish! #IrishPride ☘️

Thanksgiving Break 🦃

On behalf of the Board of Education and Administration, Happy Thanksgiving from Seneca High School! SHS is incredibly thankful for the continued engagement and support of all our students, staff, parents and community members!

School will be CLOSED for Thanksgiving Break from November 26th-28th. Classes will resume on Monday, December 1st with a "B" Day. We hope everyone enjoys a safe and memorable holiday weekend! ☘️

On Tuesday, Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Neurohr took their Anatomy and Allied Health classes to the National University of Health Science's FISH program (Futures in Science and Healthcare). The students enjoyed a presentation on alternative healthcare careers and got hands-on experience with a pre-dissected human cadaver!

HOBY Youth Leadership 🌟

Seneca High School sophomores, Vivianna Barrera and Brynlee Hunt, have been selected to represent Seneca Township High School at the 2025 HOBY Leadership Seminar. The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation is a global youth leadership organization that runs seminars, workshops, and other programs to inspire young people to become leaders. The Leadership Seminar is designed for high school sophomores to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to becoming effective, ethical leaders in their home, schools, work-place and community. Students participate in hands-on leadership activities and meet state leaders in such areas as business, government, education, media and the non-profit sector.

Each September, every accredited public, private and charter high school in the country is invited to select and register outstanding sophomores as representatives to their local state seminar. Currently, over 8,500 students around the world attend HOBY seminars and over 5,000 high schools are represented each year. All Seneca High School sophomore students were invited to pick up applications and submit essays for the opportunity to attend this seminar. Congratulations to Vivianna and Brynlee on such a great accomplishment! #TheSenecaWay ☘️

New Staff Spotlight: Brent Smith, Mathematics Teacher & Assistant Football Coach ✏️

“I grew up in Flanagan and graduated from Flanagan High School in 2007. I went on to Millikin University, where I continued my football career and earned my Bachelor’s in Mathematics Secondary Education with PE as a second teaching field. I just finished my Master’s in Educational Leadership through Aurora University in August and this is my fifteenth year teaching.”

“After college, I taught at IVC for a year before joining Bana at Henry for four years. I spent the last nine years at Flanagan before this opportunity opened up for us. Along with teaching math, I’ve taught PE a few times, and at Flanagan I also served as the Director of Student Services since we didn’t have a guidance counselor.”

“Outside of school, our boys love being outdoors. We try to travel when we can, especially to visit family in Florida and Wisconsin. Last spring we hiked in Arizona, including Sedona and Fossil Creek Falls as highlights. We’ll go to Starved Rock and Matthiessen, and since we live in the woods, the boys get plenty of time to just be kids.”

“I would say I had a lot of good teachers and coaches that were mentors for me. Coach O’Boyle was my football coach for all four years at Flanagan. He was somebody that all of us looked up to. I also had a lot of family that was in education. My grandpa was a teacher, principal, and superintendent. I have an aunt that was a teacher and eventually became a principal before retiring. My mom was also a teacher so I just grew up around it. It’s a job that I knew I would be able to feel that I’m making a difference. You can see a student years down the road and know that you did something to help them out.”

“Seneca’s facilities stand out, but what really strikes me is how genuinely excited teachers and students are to be here. There’s a real appreciation for what we have and a positive atmosphere you don’t always see in high schools. It’s also great to see so many students interested in going into education, which says a lot about this place.”

“With my freshmen, the goal is that they not only build math skills but also life skills. In Algebra III, I want them to come away from it feeling prepared for whatever math they plan to take in college. Overall though, I just want to keep getting out of my area of the building to continue building relationships with the students and staff.”

#TheSenecaWay ☘️