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player ready...Park Forest students donate 2,000 food items
Carts stacked with boxes of canned goods, boxes filled with food and a table lined with cereal and other items filled the entrance to the Indiana School in Park Forest last week after 5th and 6th grade students there collected more than 2,000 items for the Rich Township Food pantry.
Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan and his team came to the school on Tuesday to collect the items, which he said will benefit several families.
“It means a lot when you get the youth concerned about helping families,” Jordan said. “It shows the kind of heart and concern that they have.”
Tracye Hutsona, Indiana School’s principal, said teacher Aubrey Schuh came up with the idea to have a food drive to celebrate the 100th day of school and give back to the community. The weeklong effort included a contest to see which class could bring the most items.
“Our students are learning valuable lessons beyond math, reading and writing,” said Blondean Y. Davis, superintendent of Matteson School District 162. “They are also learning the importance of giving back to their community.”
Automotive students win at MVCC competition
A team from Stagg High School in Palos Hills took first place while students from Richards High School in Oak Lawn took second and a team from Andrew High in Tinley Park placed third in the High School Automotive Technology Skills Competition, hosted last weekend by Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
Other participating high schools included Argo, Shepard, Reavis, Thornridge and Oak Lawn Community.
The competition involved a 70-question written exam and several hands-on exams, including electrical diagnosis, service Information, fasteners & micrometers and an on-car testing component.
Richards senior Mikolaj Kloczkowski placed first among all the individual competitors while Stagg freshman Arkadiusz Garczek took second and Stagg junior Antony Sendeha finished in third place.
A plaque and a traveling trophy were awarded to the best team and medals were awarded to the top three individuals.
Stagg team members were Arkadiusz Garczek, Antony Sendeha, Taylor Vinson, Hannah Pries, Alin Lungu, Tizoc Gonzalez, Nycholos Golla, Adam Krzysztofek and Ahmad Shoaib.
Richards team members included Kaitlyn Kisala, Joshua Hartell, Jesus Navarro, Austin Glesge, Joseph Fraider, Mikolaj Kloczkowski, Waleed Ahmad, Jabril Judeh and Rachael Snyder.
H-F educators earn ISBE awards
Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School had the most Illinois State Board of Education Those Who Excel Award recipients in school history. The awards honor educators who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools and have been presented annually since 1970. H-F received at least one award in each category this year.
This year’s winners included special education teachers Emily Carroll and Andrew Gaus, business administrator Lawrence Cook, transportation coordinator Candice Hall, community volunteer Aginah Muhammad, physical education teacher Cody Rudnik and social worker Lauren White. Team awards were given to efforts including the H-F Resiliency Project, which focuses on proactive intervention by identifying and addressing students’ at-risk behaviors before they become severe problems, and Co-Taught Social Science With Reading, a reading intervention program.
ISBE will celebrate these awardees and others from across the state of Illinois at a banquet April 29. More about the awards and winners is at www.isbe.net/thosewhoexcel.
Oak Forest Fleadh sets grand marshal
The Rotary Club of Oak Forest is set to lead the family parade as the Oak Forest-Crestwood Area Chamber of Commerce and the city of Oak Forest present the 14th annual Oak Forest Fleadh on March 4. The community event includes the CNB Oak Forest Fleadh 5K race at 8:30 a.m. and the family parade on Central Avenue at 11 a.m.
The 5K race starts and finishes at 153rd and Lacrosse — steps away from Oak Forest Bowl, the pre-and post-race host. More than 400 participants are expected to run or walk the 3.1-mile course in the city’s 3rd and 5th Wards. The city will close several neighborhood streets shortly before the start of the race. The closures will be in effect for approximately one hour.
The family parade will step off from 151st and Central Avenue at 11 a.m. and head south to the Oak Forest Park District. This year’s grand marshal is the Rotary Club of Oak Forest, an organization that focuses on community service. The group’s signature project is the Food4Kids Backpack program, which provides healthy snacks to area schoolchildren every Friday to ensure they have enough nourishment throughout the weekend when school lunch programs are not available to them. The club also works with Oak Forest High School’s Interact Club, organizes community blood drives, provides scholarships and awards to local students, and hosts an annual youth talent showcase and free pancake breakfast.
More information about the event is at 708-687-4600 and www.oak-forest.org, or email [email protected]
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.Trivia fundraiser set for veterans memorial
Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial, Inc. hopes its second annual family-friendly Trivia Night will provide St. Patrick’s Day luck as it comes within $10,000 of its $100,000 fundraising goal.
FVM’s Trivia Night will beat 7 p.m. March 10 at Flossmoor Community House, 847 Hutchison Road. Advance registration for teams or individuals is required; seating is limited to 10 tables of six. Cost is $20 per person or $100 per table.
The Trivia Night will be a six-round event, with 10 questions per round. First prize is $150, with the second-place team winning $75. Round sponsorships are $250, and FVM is also seeking raffle basket sponsors.
Information and registration is at https://flossmoorvets.square.site or by email at [email protected].
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