2017-2018 Staff
Marc Alvarez
Copy Editor
Marc Alvarez is a senior at DGS and a copy editor for the Blueprint. He is a varsity runner for the cross country and track teams at DGS and has been a team member for the last four years. He has earned 9 all-conference awards on the track and the cross country course. Alvarez is also the president...
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Katie Anthony
Print News Editor
Katie Anthony is a senior at DGS and the Print News Editor for the Blueprint during the 2017-2018 school year. Within DGS Anthony has been a part of the JV girls golf team, Mustangs Aware and Athletes Committed to Excellence. Anthony is also a part of the National Honor Society and enjoys volunteering at Fee...
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Jayna Bardahl
Print Co-Editor-in-Chief
Jayna Bardahl is a senior at DGS and one of the Print Editors-In-Chief for the Blueprint. During the 2016-2017 year Bardahl worked as the Print News Editor on the Blueprint staff. She is also involved in the varsity cheerleading team, ACE club, English peer tutors, and P.E. leaders. In 2017 Bardahl...
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Kendall Brost
Online Entertainment Editor
Kendall Brost is a senior at DGS and is the online entertainment editor. She was also selected to be in Mad Dash, Mustang Way, Blue Crew and P.E Leading. Additionally, Brost has her own radio show that she runs and the community tunes into every week. Brost is involved in soccer both outside and inside...
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Natalie Casas
Online Features Editor
Natalie Casas is a junior at DGS and is the Online Features Editor for the Blueprint. She is on the swim team at DGS and also swims competitively outside of school for Hornets Swim Club. After the swim season, Casas participates in Poetry Reading and Declamation Speaking for the DGS Speech team and hopes...
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Barbara Collins
Online Co-Editor-in-Chief
Barbara Collins is a senior at DGS. This year she one of the online co-editor-in-chief of the Blueprint. Collins enjoys being a captain of the DGS girls varsity tennis team, and has played on the team for four years. She is involved in Earth Action Club, P.E Leading and National Honors Society. ...
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Emmanuelle Copeland
Graphics Director
Emmanuelle Copeland is a junior at DGS. She has participated in the speech team and masque and gavel department over the last three years, maintaining leadership roles in both as an event chair and the hair and makeup crew head. Copeland has participated in several art competitions and galleries,...
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Andrea Davenport
Print Opinions Editor
Andrea Davenport is a junior at DGS and is the print opinions editor. This is her first year as a member of the staff; however, she was a freelance writer for the paper last year. Looking to work within the English field in the future, Davenport was selected to attend the IPF Journalism workshop hosted at E...
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Srushti Desai
Print Entertainment Editor
Srushti Desai is a junior at DGS and the Print Entertainment Editor for the Blueprint. She loves badminton and has been on the DGS badminton team since her freshmen year. Desai competed at a varsity tournament during her sophomore year. At DGS she is involved in Peer Leaders, Maddash and Mustang Way....
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Sydney Hall
Online News Editor
Sydney Hall is a senior at DGS. She is an Online News Editor for the 2017-2018 Blueprint newspaper. Hall is involved in various clubs at DGS such as Superfans and ACE and hopes to join more throughout her senior year at DGS. After high school, she plans to continue her education at college by majoring...
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Calvin Herion
Online Sports Editor
Calvin Herion is a senior and a member of Peer Leaders, Law Club and National Honor Society. Writing is Herion's forte, so he is hoping to study journalism in college or write novels for a living. Although his future remains uncertain, Herion plans on at least attending the College of DuPage. When ...
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Matthew Hollendonner
Business Manager
Matthew Hollendonner is a senior at DGS and is the business manager of the 2017-2018 Blueprint. Matthew was a part of Key Club which is where he developed his drive to help others, Hollendonner spends any available time helping neighbors and family. The last two years he has come in early to meet...
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Sarah Major
Print Co-Editor-in-Chief
Sarah Major is a senior and works as a Print Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Blueprint. During the 2016-17 school year, she was the Print Features Editor for the Blueprint. Major won first place at the IJEA awards and an honorable mention award at NISPA for her spread on the DGS athletic code. She has ...
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Will Miller
Social Media Director
Will Miller is the definition of hardworking and being personable. He strives to do his best while appealing to many different types of people. Some may say he is the voice of the unspoken and the fearful. Will strives in a business setting. In the last three years, he has competed in many competitions...
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Kora Montana
Online Co-Editor-in-Chief
Kora Montana is a Senior at DGS and one of the Online Editors-in-Chief for the Blueprint Newspaper. Montana was a freelance writer for the Blueprint during the 2016-2017 school year; this is her first year on staff. In the IJEA 2017 Competition, Montana placed first place for a podcast entry and earned a...
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Jhenevie Oca
Photo Editor
Jhenevie Oca is a senior at DGS and works as a Photo Editor for this year’s Blueprint. She has a passion for art and has taken five courses of photography at DGS. In the future, she hopes to do photography on the side while pursuing a main career in nursing. Her goal is to become an amazing ER nurse an...
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Jonah Ocuto
Video News Director
Jonah Ocuto is a senior at DGS and the Video News Director for the Blueprint. He has been a member of the Drama Club for four years and is going into his third year with the Speech team. Ocuto loves movies and theater, and he wants to go to college to study acting and journalism. Ocuto placed 2nd...
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Donte Reed
Print Sports Editor
Donte Reed is a senior at DGS and is in his first year as a member of the Blueprint Staff. He is a member of the varsity co-ed cheerleading and boys varsity gymnastics teams. Outside of school he is a member of the Delayed Entry Program for the United States Marine Corps, and he is planning on making...
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Elizabeth Rose Szpytek
Online Opinions Editor
Elizabeth Rose Szpytek (they/them/theirs or she/her/hers) is a senior at Downers Grove South, and—for reasons still unknown—oversees the online opinions section for the Blueprint. Szpytek, a self-described "genderqueer woman," is passionate about fighting the cissexism, transmisogyny and sexism that i...
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Sherwin Thomas
Copy Editor
Sherwin Thomas is a senior at DGS and a copy editor for the Blueprint. He is going into his third year with the Speech team and is reaching the end of his second year volunteering at Good Samaritan Hospital. Thomas loves gaming and technology and he wants to go to college to major in computer science. ...
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Rhaya Truman
Print Features Editor
Rhaya Truman is a junior at DGS and is the Print Features Editor for the Blueprint. She has participated in basketball and dance at DGS. She is involved in many organizations, for example, Kpop club, Peer Tutors, Superfans and the Communications Officer for the Student Council Exec Board. Her fav...
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Lindsay Valero
Photo Editor/Co-Video Editor
Lindsay Valero is a senior at DGS. She is a Photo Editor and Co-Video Editor for Blueprint. Valero is involved in various clubs and activities at DGS: Superfans, ACE, softball, Blue Crew, Photo Club, Peer Tutors, Spanish Honors Society and National Honors Society. This year she plans on joining Steppers...
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Vince Vena
Copy Editor
Vince Vena is a senior at DGS and a Copy Editor for the Blueprint. He has been a member of the Marching Mustangs for four years. Vince has played Trombone for the past three seasons but for his last season, he became a member of the DGS Drumline and currently plays Bass Drum. Vince avidly ...
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Kari Alore
Adviser
Kari Alore teaches English I, English II and Journalistic Expression and Media Literacy at DGS. She also co-advises the Blueprint. She has her undergraduate degree from Elmhurst College, where she majored in English. She started her teaching career in 2008 at DGS and has since gone back to school...
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Mark Indreika
Adviser
Mark Indreika graduated from DGS in 1984, he attended Northern Illinois University where he studied Journalism and English Education. He continued with post-graduate work at Northern earning a masters degree in English and American Literature in 1995. He began teaching at DGS in the fall of 1996. For...
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Mary Long
Adviser
Mary Long teaches English III, Journalistic Expression and Advanced Journalistic Writing at DGS. She also advises the Blueprint. She has her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, where she triple majored in Journalism, English and Art. After graduating from the University of Iowa, she got ...
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