Three members of the Brookfield Police Department raised more than $500 for the American Lung Association in February by participating in the organization’s 2016 Fight for Air Climb at the Oakbrook Terrace Tower.
Police Chief James Episcopo, Lt. James Mihalik and Sgt. Nicholas Hahn climbed the 680 steps leading up 31 floors of the tower during the event. Mihalik finished 61st overall in the Full Climb race at 5 minutes, 37 seconds, while Hahn was 85th at 6:07. Info on Episcopo’s finish was not available.
At total of 572 people participated in the climb.
Classroom in the Forest
Riverside Village Forester Michael Collins has been tapped to work with a DePaul University professor and provide instruction in urban forestry.
On April 20, students from Jess Vogt’s Environmental Science and Studies class will be in Riverside to get real world insights from Collins on managing an urban forest.
Riverside chief speaks
in Springfield
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel was among the state’s top law enforcement leaders to speak at a “Fight Crime, Invest in Kids” press conference Springfield in early March to convince state lawmakers to continue funding social services that police say are proven crime-prevention initiatives.
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police at the same time released “Stronger Preschool Key to Cutting Illinois Prison Bill and Boosting School Success,” a report that outlines those initiatives, like Redeploy Illinois, Teen REACH, “parent coaching” programs, community-based youth services programs and child-care assistance for the working poor.
The state’s budget impasse has severely impacted funding for such services. Many agencies have cut staff and some have simply have simply closed their doors due to the funding shortage.
“As police chief in Riverside, I see the impact of these cutbacks every day in my community,” Weitzel said. “I see it in the kids and families with whom my officers some in contact and also with the agencies that have become respected institutions in Riverside and greater Cook County communities.”
On Campus
Riverside resident Annie Mackey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in finance during commencement ceremonies at the University of Iowa at the close of the 2015 fall semester.
And named to the dean’s list at the University of Iowa for the 2015 fall semester were Brookfield resident Melissa Frieberg, North Riverside resident Sarah Ulanowicz and Riverside residents Claire Bartalone, Haley Croney, Lindsey Dowling, Alanna Maloney and Meghan Orgler.
Amelia Reggi, of Riverside, was recently recognized as one of the best undergraduate students in Italian classes during the fall semester at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Reggi, the daughter of Martin and Allyson Reggi, is a freshman at the university. As one of the recognized, she was presented with a copy of the Italian constitution with a book, in Italian, on the life of Donatello, the renaissance sculptor from Florence.
Riverside resident Maeve McMahon was named to the dean’s list for the 2015 fall semester at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana by attaining a grade-point average of at least 3.6 on a 4-point scale.
Brookfield residents Judith Jaeger, Hannah Langosch, Nicholas Mazil and Tony Wings and Riverside residents Dolores Ferenec and Josephine Krajniak were named to the 2015 fall term dean’s list at Benedictine University in Lisle for attaining a GPA of at least 3.5 while carrying a full-time course load.
Named to the dean’s recognized list for attaining a GPA of at least 3.5 while carrying a part-time course load were Brookfield residents Jason Broderick and Maria Martinez-Lozano and North Riverside resident Debra Karas.
Molly Chaney, of Riverside, was named to the 2015 fall semester dean’s list at Washington University in St. Louis by attaining a GPA of at least 3.6 for the semester.
Brookfield resident Jennifer Frieberg was one of 5,170 undergraduate students at the University of Kansas to earn honor roll distinction for the 2015 fall semester. Frieberg is enrolled in the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Dylan Gresik, of Riverside, was one of 15 Illinois High School seniors awarded a Chick Evans Scholarship, given annually to golf caddies who demonstrate a strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need and outstanding leadership and character. The scholarship provides for full tuition and housing.
The scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by 28,700 golfers around the country who are members of the WGA Par Club program. Evans Scholars alumni donate more than $11 million annually and all proceeds from the BMW Championships are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.
Gresik, a student at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, is a caddie at Riverside Golf Club. He will be attending Northwestern University in the fall.
Dana Dombrowski and Andrea Serrano, both of Brookfield, were among the 26 Lyons Township High School students serving as delegates to the Illinois Junior Classical League state convention.
They also were among the 15 Latin students who won awards for participating in academic contests that included mythology, Latin grammar and vocabulary and other, more entertaining competitions, including spirit, costume and T-shirt design.
Dombrowski, a senior Latin 3 student, placed first and second in costume and fifth in decorative stitching. Serrano, a junior Latin 3 student, placed third in couples costume and second in costume.
Brookfield resident Killian LeClainche, a senior at Lyons Township High School, was one of seven members of the school’s Business Professionals of America Club to qualify for the BPA national competition in May in Boston.
LeClainche advanced in the Java Programming category.
Sophie Klyber, a fifth-grader at Central School in Riverside was presented a Future Scientist Award, at the West Suburban Consortium for Academic Excellence annual science fair at Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center on Feb. 25
Sophie was one of 16 fifth-graders participating at the fair. She won the Future Scientist Award for demonstrating a promising future in the science and engineering fields for her project “Bouncy Balls.”
Three North Riverside residents were among the student musicians from Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park who participated in the 36th Annual State of Art Catholic Band Competition in February at Marian Catholic High School.
The Wind Ensemble, which included Guillermo Arroyo (trombone) and Danny Zontos (percussion), brought home a third-place plaque in the Class AAA division and received a rating of “excellent.” The Concert Band, which included Zontos and Diego Arroyo (alto sax), finished third in the Class A division and were awarded a “superior” rating.
