State event gives area students a taste of what it takes to teach
For School District 218 students considering careers as teachers, the Educators Rising state conference at Illinois State University last week offered an amazing menu of opportunities.
Faculty sponsors Erin Quinlan of Shepard High School in Palos Heights, Darcey Reczkiewicz of Richards High School in Oak Lawn and Jen Serpe of Eisenhower High School in Blue Island brought 25 students to the conference at Illinois State University for a variety of activities for high school students interested in careers as teachers.
Students listened to a keynote address by Kim Radosits, the Illinois Teacher of the Year for 2022. They also attended instructional sessions led by a variety of educators from around the state.
In advance of the conference, students wrote and illustrated books and entered them in the Children’s Literature K-3 category.
Shepard students Jessica Byrdak and Gordon Stroobosscher took second place to advance to the national finals. Their book, “The Space Between,” explores the stages of grief on a galactic journey.
Students also competed in the “EdRising moment” category, a spoken word event illustrating the point in time that made them realize teaching would be their future career.
Students from Shepard who attended include Salma Bali, Jessica Byrdak, Lysa Carerro, Brianna DiFoggio, Josie Hansen, Vincent Jackson, Madi Muthart, Kaylie Pegues, Kylie Puchalski, Kassie Shepherd, and Gordy Stroobosscher.
Students from Eisenhower who attended include Nevaeh Lewis, Alexandra Trejo, and Katlynn Rydberg.
Students from Richards who attended include Eileen Mora, Emily Styrczula, Erin Baker, Maya Sheehan, Mia Coglianese, Savannah Vahl, Mollie Warren, Morgan Keating, Reya Graham, Juliana Khoury, and Bridget Walsh.
Sandburg MedClub place at state
Carl Sandburg High School’s MedClub brought its competitive team to the IHSA State HOSA Competition and placed in four categories. MedClub provides opportunities to hear from professionals in the medical field as well as to compete in the HOSA state competition for students considering careers in the medical field.
HOSA, which stands for health occupations students of America, is a global student-led organization recognized by several federal and state agencies. Students from Sandburg in Orland Park competed at the state in the following events EMT, CPR, Dental Terminology, and Dental Science.
Sophomore Aashvi Kothadia placed in the top three for Dental Terminology and has been selected to compete at the international HOSA Competition scheduled for June in Dallas.
Other top-10 finishers at state from Sandburg included Aashvi Kothadia, Zoey Stack and Daniel Arreola in Dental Science; Nicole Nesterovich, Paige Zikmund, Grace Pierson and Kyle Puhr in CPR/First Aid; and Faha Rahber and Hamza Alhroub in EMT.
More Top Picks Best Blackout Tents For Beds
Oak Lawn museum offers special needs egg hunt
The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn will present its 13th annual Spring Egg Hunt for children with special needs in two sessions March 26 at the museum, 5100 Museum Drive, Oak Lawn.
Offered for children who cannot participate in other egg hunt events because of a disability, organizers remove as many barriers as possible, such as providing beeper eggs for children who are vision impaired. Participants can hunt at their own pace and volunteers will be on hand to assist.
The indoor event is offered in two sessions this year, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The hunts are free, but advance registration is required. Information is at 708-423-6709 or www.cmoaklawn.org.
Christmas Without Cancer collecting used shoes
Christmas Without Cancer is once again collecting used gym shoes and sneakers to raise funds for the organization through May 6. Drop-off locations are located throughout the area.
Sneakers in gently used new or worn condition in child sizes 4 and above, as well as any adult sizes, are accepted. Every pair donated will be sent to GotSneakers, a sneaker recycling program which provides money for each pair of used shoes.
Last year, Christmas Without Cancer donated more than 4,200 pairs of gym shoes to Got Sneakers, raising more than $5,000 for the organization.
All reusable shoes are recirculated to secondhand markets so people can access them at affordable prices. Heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled.
A list of locations where the shoes are being collected is at christmaswithoutcancer.org.
MVCC foundation offers 350 scholarships
Current and potential Moraine Valley students can apply for approximately 350 scholarships from the Moraine Valley Community College Foundation ranging from $250 to $5,000 to be used during the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters. The deadline to apply is March 31.
The foundation scholarships can offset the cost of tuition, books, fees and supplies for Moraine Valley students. Each scholarship has specific requirements, but students only need to complete one application, and it automatically will be applied to any scholarships they may qualify for. Scholarships are awarded based on criteria such as financial need, field of study, academic achievement, career choice, personal accomplishments, volunteerism and more. They are available for full- and part-time students, whether or not they receive financial aid. Details about the scholarships and the application process can be found at morainevalley.edu/scholarships.
Send news to [email protected].