Teams from Richards teams compete at IBEW/NECA event
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Along with more than a dozen others,
Richards High School in Oak Lawn sent three teams this week to compete against more than a dozen others at the architectural design experience sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 and National Electrical Contractors Association training facility in Alsip.
IBEW and NECA created the event to offer a glimpse of various careers.
The students completed a variety of individual and team tasks and tested their academic skills by designing and developing an electrical load analysis for a new manufacturing campus for a simulated company.
Challenges included using scale measurement tools to create a site plan of the manufacturing campus and calculating the impact of electrical vehicles. They also developed a scale drawn site plan that included campus buildings, parking lot, water retention areas and renewable energy resources.
OLCHS teacher named Educator of The Year
Ailysh Cooper, a teacher at Oak Lawn Community High School, has been selected as the Illinois Art Education Association Art Educator of the Year.
According to a release from the organization, the selection committee found Cooper’s “professional performance, service, and leadership to be exemplary in every regard” in choosing her for the award.
Cooper, a native of Oswego, is in her fifth year teaching art at Oak Lawn Community High School. She primarily teaches drawing, painting and photography classes and is a sponsor for the school’s knit and crochet club, Alliance club, National Art Honor Society, and stage crew for theater.
She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University and teaches every summer at NIU’s Summer in the Arts Visual Art Camp. She is also the creator of the Ms. Cooper’s Art Class YouTube channel.
The IAEA also named two Southland schools among its five statewide 2022 Schools of Distinction, Evergreen Park Community High School and Lemont High School.
According to a news release, the IAEA School of Distinction award celebrates schools with rigorous art, design, and media education programs.
Marian students celebrate Mass, normalcy
Nearly 1,000 people gathered last week at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights to spiritually kick off the new school year and celebrate being an in-person community.
Students, parents and faculty and staff celebrated the first Mass of the school year while nearly 50 students participated in various roles.
“After more than two years of nothing being truly normal in our students’ lives, it’s pure joy to be able to spiritually gather as one whole community and begin a new year like we did before the pandemic began,” said principal Steve Tortorello.
Illinois Philharmonic named Best of Park Forest
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra has been selected for the 2022 Best of Park Forest Award in the Performing Arts Group category by the Park Forest Award Program.
The annual awards are given to exceptional organizations that help make the Park Forest area a great place to live, work and play, according to a news release. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Park Forest Award Program and data provided by third parties.
Frankfort students return to parade route
The Summit Hill Junior High Marching Band made its first parade performance since 2019 at the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade on Sept. 4 as a full crowd lined the streets of downtown Frankfort to watch.
The Frankfort school’s seventh and eighth grade musicians began preparations for the parade the first week of August at the annual band camp, and rehearsed at 7 a.m. each morning before school after classes resumed. Director Kim Coughlin said she was very proud, as she watched her students make it through their very first parade
The band played their traditional cadence, which was written for the band many years ago by former band parent Rick Jordan, and performed the refrain from John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Smith Village Farmers Market benefits charity
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Locally grown pumpkins and flowers plus sweets from popular vendors will be featured at the Smith Village Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 23 in the facility’s parking lot at 113th Place east of South Western Avenue.
Smith Village’s lemonade and popcorn stand and iced coffee brewed by Elara Caring will raise money for Emilie’s Fund, which provides for residents who outlive their means. Other highlights include Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences’ recently harvested pumpkins, and a variety of mums and fall plants from Schaefer’s Greenhouse. There also will be honey from Nisse Farms and pie from Pierre’s Bakery.
Domestic violence prevention event set in New Lenox
The New Lenox Safe Community Coalition and its Domestic Violence Prevention Task Group offers a free educational event in support of Domestic Violence Prevention Awareness Month.
“One Thing: Speak Up, Speak Out,” will be Oct. 3 at Lincoln-Way West High School, 21701 Gougar Road, New Lenox.
Representatives from domestic violence prevention agencies will be on hand from 6 to 7 p.m. and a keynote speaker and panel discussion will be from 7 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium. No registration is required.
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