Mary Vogt, a fifth-grade teacher for the past nine years at St. Mary School in Riverside, was recently named a Heart of the School Award winner by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Vogt was one of 14 elementary and secondary educators honored by the archdiocese, which recognizes teachers and administrators for their “outstanding, unique and innovative accomplishments” in seven categories: the arts, behind the scenes, Catholic School identity and mission, innovation and creativity, leadership, rising star and technology.
“This year’s Heart of the School Award recipients are shining examples of the thousands of high-quality educators in the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools,” said Nicholas Wolsonovich, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese.
“Their vital contributions to the spiritual formation and academic development of our students are what truly make Catholic schools so special.”
The 2008 Heart of the School Award winners were chosen from a potential pool of more than 5,200 educators from 256 schools in Cook and Lake counties. Each winner was presented with a pin, commemorative plaque and monetary award at a breakfast gathering on Jan. 25 in Chicago.
Vogt, a Chicago resident, was named an award winner in the innovation and creativity category, for keeping students engaged in the learning process by incorporating various software-based and hands-on teaching techniques.
Her memberships with the Illinois Computing Educators and National Science Teachers Association have kept her on top of the latest teaching methods.
Welcome aboard
During January, the Village of Brookfield swore in a pair of new police officers and one new firefighter.
On Jan. 14, Anthony Antonucci and Eddy Copot were officially installed as probationary police officers. Two weeks later, on Jan. 28, Brian Marsiglio was sworn in as a probationary firefighter/paramedic.
On Jan. 23, the Riverside Police department announced that its two newest recruits, Fabian Navarro and Brian Greenenwald, had graduated from the Police Training Institute in Champaign.
According to Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, who was on hand when the two officers were sworn in during the Feb. 4 Riverside village board meeting, Greenenwald was No. 2 in his graduating class of 45.
Both new officers are not new to the area. Navarro, 25, is a graduate of Morton East High School in Cicero and previously worked as a security guard at the North Riverside Park Mall. He also was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army National Guard.
Greenenwald is a Lyons Township High School graduate and previously worked as an intern for the Riverside Police Department.
Brookfield resident Mary Delbecq was named to a two-year term on the village’s Conservation Commission at the Brookfield village board meeting on Jan. 28.
That spells success
The LaGrange Area Knights of Columbus held their annual Spelling Bee on Jan. 20 at St. Louise de Marillac School in LaGrange Park, which sent six students to represent the school.
After participating in the school’s spelling bee, the following students went on to represent St. Louise. They included, from sixth grade, Tommy Keegan of LaGrange Park; from seventh grade, Robert Arredia of Brookfield, Angela Korabik of Brookfield and Tommy Szydlo of LaGrange Park; and, from eighth grade, Diana Golden of LaGrange Park and Julie Sinde of Brookfield.
Golden placed second overall and will now move on to regionals in late February or early March. The top three spellers from regionals will then move on to the state finals in Springfield in April.
On campus
David Gates of Riverside received his white coat at the inaugural White Coat Ceremony at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) in Harrogate, Tenn.
Gates, a first-year osteopathic medical student at LMU-DCOM, is a member of the first class at Tennessee’s newest medical school. The White Coat Ceremony is a special ceremony designed to mark a student’s entrance into medical school. During the Ceremony, each medical student is presented and “robed” with his or her short white laboratory coat, formalizing and welcoming the student’s entrance into the study of medicine.
Sixteen Brookfield students at Lyons Township High School were recently named Illinois State Scholars. Students ranking in the top 10 percent of the state’s 139,500 high school graduating seniors were named Illinois State Scholars. Selection is based on SAT I and/or ACT test score results and/or the students’ class rank at the end of the junior year of high school.
Those named include Sarah J. Boots, Timothy O. Brown, Aseem Chataut, Carl R. Church, Jan Cordeiro, Clarissa A. Gradilla, Dijana Keljalic, Kristine M. Kuchta, Bethany B. Locicero, Allyson J. Olsen, Melissa M. Paloucek, Sara M. Patek, Margaret M. Powers, Matthew R. Scalise, Milot Thaqi and Melisa J. Wink.
Four Riverside residents have been named to the Trinity High School (River Forest) Second Block honor roll for the 2007-08 academic year.
Gabrielle O’Connor, a junior, and Andreja Siliunas, a sophomore, both made First Honors by achieving grade-point averages of 3.75 or above on a 4-point scale. Meanwhile, seniors Elizabeth Nelson and Emily Sitton both achieved Second Honors (3.3-3.74 GPA).
Brookfield resident Samantha Henderson-Hunter, a senior at Lyons Township High School, was one of five LT students named as finalists in the annual Best of College Photography Student Photography Contest, sponsored by Photographer’s Forum magazine.
More than 28,000 photographic entries were submitted from students across the U.S. and 12 other countries. Only the top 5 percent were selected for finalist standing. Finalists will have their work published in the “Best of College Photography Annual: 2007-08.”
Nick Lindmark, a Brookfield resident and freshman at Lyons Township High School, will perform in the musical “Crazy For You” at the high school on Feb. 21-24. The play features music by George and Ira Gershwin. Lindmark plays a cowboy named Harry in the play.
Brookfield resident Dalia Sobyra has been named to the dean’s list at Illinois College in Jacksonville. Candidates for the dean’s list must complete at least 14 semester hours and post a grade-point average of 3.5 of higher on a 4.0 scale. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Sobyra of Brookfield.
Brookfield residents Jessica Tenuta and Alicia McCaster, both students at Lyons Township High School, were among 16 LT students recognized at the 9th Annual Elmhurst College High School Art Show.
Tenuta, a junior, won an Award of Excellence (first place) for her woodcut portrait, while McCaster, a sophomore, took home an Award of Honor (third place) for her color pencil drawing.
Riverside resident Chelsea M. Hennessy was named to the Rhodes College (Memphis, Tenn.) honor roll for the 2007-08 fall semester. To qualify for the honor roll, a student must be enrolled in at least 16 credit hours and achieve a grade-point average of 3.85 or better on a 4-point scale.
Several local students were named to the 2007 fall semester dean’s list and academic honors list in recognition of their achievements at Morton College in Cicero.
Brookfield residents Colleen Hartman and Amy Marcinkiewicz were both named to the dean’s list, which requires a full-time student to earn a semester GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
Named to the academic honors list (part-time, 3.0 GPA) were Brookfield residents Tina Brasse, Loretta Gorecki and Paul Rodriguez and North Riverside residents Steven Demma and Guadalupe Perez.
St. Louise students show off their science chops
Four seventh-graders and eight eighth-graders from St. Louise de Marillac School in LaGrange Park are headed the next level of competition in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science competition after presenting winning science projects in St. Louise’s annual Academic Fair on Jan. 23.
Seveneth-graders heading to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago in March for the next level of competition are Angela Korabik of Brookfield, Josephine Krajniak of Riverside and Nicholas Murphy and John Reape of LaGrange Park.
Eighth-graders heading to North Central College in Naperville for the next level of competition are Christopher Dziagwa, Julie Sinde, Megan Walsen, Kristin Ripoli, Meredythe DiVittorio, Diana Golden, Brendan Hanrahan and James Panek.
Pack 24 scouts earn Pinewood Derby honors
Eighty-seven Cub Scouts from Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield raced cars they built in Pack 24’s annual Pinewood derby on Friday, Jan. 11 at the Riverside Presbyterian Church.
Pack 24’s first -place award for the fastest car went to Konrad Kroczynski, a fifth-grade Webelos scout. In second, third and fourth place, respectively, were second-grade Wolf scouts Ben Judy, Joe Connelly and Jackson Hajer.
Riverside Presbyterian Church sponsors Pack 24, which includes 95 scouts. The first Pinewood derby was held in 1953 in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Since then, an estimated 43 million Cub Scouts throughout the country have participated in Pinewood Derby races.