Students at Pennoyer School District 79 in Norridge scored slightly higher on Illinois standardized tests this year compared to statewide averages in reading and math, according to results released in October in the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) annual school report cards. 

Pennoyer’s scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) were about 10 percent higher than the average number of students (59 percent) in the state who met or exceeded standard benchmarks for proficiency in math and reading, but District 79 students showed year-to-year improvement by increasing last year’s scores by 7 percent in 2014.

Looking at math and reading separately, 67 percent of Pennoyer students met or exceeded the state’s reading standards, and 70 percent reached those benchmarks in math, according to school report card data.

Reading scores among Pennoyer students increased by 4 percent from last year, and the school’s math score was 9 percent higher than in 2013.

The report also measures academic achievement from one year to the next to measure improvements over time. The “Student Academic Growth” chart compares students’ performance on the reading and math ISAT from one year to the next.

Scores of more than 100 indicate that students are improving relative to their grade level, according to information from the ISBE.

On a scale of 120—with anything above 100 being considered positive growth, and scores dipping below 100 considered negative growth—District 79’s reading score was 106 compared to the state average of 99.

In math, Pennoyer students scored a 105 compared to the state average of 103.

Last year ISBE implemented more rigorous testing standards with a heavier focus on critical thinking skills to prepare students for a new testing system that will replace ISAT tests starting this school year.

Spring 2014 marked the last year of ISAT testing for Illinois public schools, but students across the state were tested on tougher questions in math, English and language arts in 2013 and 2014 to prepare them for higher academic standards rolled out under the Common Core State Standards initiative this year.

The tougher tests reduced composite ISAT scores at most schools, even when student achievement levels were unchanged, according to the ISBE school report card web site.

The “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College” (PARCC) exams align with Common Core State Standards and will replace the ISAT’s starting this school year.

The PARCC exams will be given more than once during the school year with the goal of providing a more accurate picture of a student’s level of preparedness for college and a career.

The Illinois school report cards also revealed other district information, including attendance rates, administrative salaries, and how much each school district spends per student.

The school’s overall attendance rate was 96 percent—one percentage point higher than the state average.

The district spent $12,591 on operational costs per student last school year, while school districts across the state spend an average of $12,045 per student, according to the data.

Teachers at Pennoyer made an average salary of $61,209 in 2014.

The full report is available at www.illinoisreportcard.com.

Harwood Heights officials hope a new “Robo Call” system that will be installed early next year will allow the various village departments to communicate better with residents.

Village Trustees during the Nov. 13 board meeting approved the purchase of a $5,400 mass communication system from Everbridge, Inc. The system will replace the village’s old “Robo Call” system, “Code Red,” which didn’t have some of the more modern capabilities of the new system.

Among the new features is a GPS mapping function that will now allow Public Works and other departments to zone in on a specific residential block or a swath of homes, sending specific messages to just a select number of people, explained Village President Arlene Jezierny.

“We’ll have more flexibility to target calls to specific groups,” Jezierny said.

Residents who sign-up for the “Robo” call list can now choose to receive notifications via text and email, instead of just through phone calls.

Robo calls are used to notify residents of major announcements about anything from Amber Alerts and school closings to public works business like water main breaks, tree trimming, and construction work.

Residents opt in to be on the list, and Trustee Annette Volpe said nearly 8,000 Harwood Heights residents are on the current “Robo Call” list.

Another new feature of the system is a mass conference call option that would help connect up to almost 100 village employees in the event of an emergency.

“Now we can connect up to 96 people together on a conference call so that the mayor, public works and the police can all be on the same call,” Volpe said. “It’s more 21^stCentury-forward.”

Residents will also now know where the “Robo Calls” are coming from because village officials will be able to program the caller ID to tell the resident whether it’s the police, village hall, or other department on the line.

Village employees  will be trained on the new system starting next year, and it will start being used shortly after the New Year, Jezierny said.

“(The new system) gives us more options and flexibility at a lower cost,” Jezierny said. “We’re happy to provide a better system for better open communication to our residents, businesses, and our employees.”

Union Ridge Elementary School District 86 in Harwood Heights scored slightly above statewide averages in reading and math on standardized tests this year, according to results released in October in the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) annual school report cards.

District 86’s scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) were about 8 percent higher than the average number of students (59 percent) in the state who met or exceeded standard benchmarks for proficiency in math and reading.

Looking at math and reading separately, 64 percent of Union Ridge students met or exceeded the state’s reading standards, and 70 percent reached those benchmarks in math, according to school report card data.

The district’s reading and math scores both dropped three percentage points from last year.

The results also show a growing achievement gap among the school’s low-income students, which make up 37 percent of the 642 students enrolled as of the fall.

The state defines low-income as the percentage of students whose families receive public aid, or students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

The low-income bracket at Union Ridge scored 17 percent lower on last year’s ISAT than the school’s non low-income students, according to the state’s data.

That group of students still scored higher than the state, however, with a 53 percent overall ISAT score.

The data also shows the number of low-income students at Union Ridge is at a five-year high.

The 37 percent of low-income students enrolled this year has grown substantially since 2010 when 25 percent were low-income.

Across the state, schools average 52 percent low-income students.

The report also measures academic achievement from one year to the next to measure improvements over time. The “Student Academic Growth” chart compares students’ performance on the reading and math ISAT from one year to the next.

Scores of more than 100 indicate that students are improving relative to their grade level, according to information from the ISBE.

On a scale of 120—with anything above 100 being considered positive growth, and scores dipping below 100 considered negative growth—District 86’s reading score was 104 compared to the state’s average of 99.

In math, Union Ridge students scored a 103—tying the state’s average.

New college-focused data released by the state in the 2014 school report cards puts Ridgewood Community High School District 234 ahead of most schools in the state based on graduation rates, college enrollment numbers and the percentage of students who meet or exceed benchmarks for college readiness.

The new school report cards—which reveal a more comprehensive, college-focused look at Illinois’ public schools than in years past—highlight how students perform throughout their four years of high school, including how they score on the Prairie State Achievement Exams (PSAE) during their junior year.

Ridgewood High School was revered in the report for an overall 91 percent graduation rate, and for the district’s high percentage of grads that head off to college—80 percent compared to 70 percent of students across the state.

But the report card reveals a disconnect between how many students are heading off to college after high school graduation and how many grads are actually ready to take on college-level coursework.

The data shows only about half of Ridgewood students (51 percent) leave high school ready for college. That benchmark is measured by the number of students who achieve an ACT score of at least 21.

That’s compared to only 46 percent of students across the state who are ready for college upon graduation from high school.

The school’s overall PSAE scores were tied with the state at 54 percent, according to the data.

Low-income students at Ridgewood (22 percent of the student population) scored close to 10 percent lower on the math and reading portions of the PSAE.

The state defines low-income as the percentage of students whose families receive public aid, or students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

In reading, low-income students scored a 49 percent compared to a 58 percent among the general student population. 

There was a 13 percent achievement gap in math where low-income scores averaged 43 percent compared to 56 percent of other students.

Last year the ISBE implemented more rigorous testing standards with a heavier focus on critical thinking skills to prepare students for a new testing system that will replace the PSAE.

Despite 2014 being the last year of PSAE testing, the state made the tests harder to prepare students for higher academic standards being rolled out under the Common Core State Standards initiative this year.

The “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College” (PARCC) exams align with the Common Core, and will replace traditional state exams starting this school year.

The PARCC exams will be given more than once during the school year with the goal of providing a more accurate picture of a student’s level of preparedness for college and a career.

Beyond test scores, the report cards also reveal data about teacher and administrative salaries, pending per student, and other financial information.

Educators make an average salary of $74,300, according to the report.

Property taxes make up about 54 percent of overall funding sources, which is low compared to most school districts across the state, which rely on property taxes for an average of 61 percent of their total budgets.

General aid from the state makes up only about 2 percent of the budget, compared to 16 percent of school district budgets across the state.

The amount of federal state aid Ridgewood gets is much higher, however. Federal sources provide for almost 33 percent of the district’s budget, compared to only about 8 percent of other school districts’ budgets in the state.

The district spent about $18,667 in operating expenses per student in 2014—about $6,662 more than the average public school in Illinois.

The full report is available at www.illinoisreportcard.com.

“Is there anyone out there who can do justice to the Hawk call?” Charlie Vogg, playing the role of Maine South Principal Shawn Messer, lamented in a skit from the school’s 51st annual variety show Friday night.

Suddenly, a loud, throaty squawk emerged from a figure climbing the stairs to the stage. It was Coach David Inserra, his arms raised in hawk-like form, slowly moving up and down.

The audience — many of whom had probably seen Inserra’s Hawk Pride call demonstrated plenty of times outside the school auditorium — roared with laughter.

The skit, performed by members of the comedy troupe “Trunk,” was one of many performances featured during “V-Show 2015: Not Yet Rated,” which spanned three nights at the Park Ridge school and included more than 100 student performers, plus a six-member stage band.

The music and comedy-heavy show also featured dance groups and even a glow-in-the-dark juggling routine, “Follow the Light,” by Luke Navas. The show ended with an all-cast rendition of “Gonna Build a Mountain,” a tradition for the last 51 years.

It was the final V-Show overseen by director John Muszynski, who is retiring at the end of the school year after 25 years at Maine South.

“There’s a lot of really talented kids in the show — they really put their heart and soul into it,” he said, comparing the show to a “parade” of creativity passing by.

One act that almost wasn’t in the show was senior Danny Svachula’s solo performance of “Proud of Your Boy.” Dressed in a black tuxedo with photographs from his childhood flashing by on a large screen behind him, Svachula sang the song from the Broadway musical “Aladdin” with Ethan Mellema accompanying on piano.

Svachula, who has Down Syndrome, was initially cut from the show after his audition, but was invited in after classmates and Down Syndrome supporters from across the country took to social media and urged the school administration to reverse the Fine Arts Department committee’s decision.

Svachula also performed with the Footlighters in the show’s opening act, which included a medley of movie themes, like “Eye of the Tiger” and “Ghostbusters.” Several other special-needs students also took part in Footlighters.

“He really worked hard and it really shows,” said Danny’s mother, Diane, of his solo performance. “He was very nervous but he did a great job.”

During Saturday night’s V-Show, the first act ended with the evacuation of the auditorium due to a fire alarm. According to Park Ridge Acting Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen, theatrical smoke used in the show set off the alarm.

The show was able to continue, once firefighters determined what had occurred.

“The kids thought I was trying to prolong my last V-Show,” Muszynski laughed.

Norridge District 80 announced their first quarter honor rolls for eighth, seventh and sixth grades at James Giles and John V. Leigh Schools:

Eighth Grade

James Giles School

Laith Abualshaikh, Jennifer Acevedo, Shawn Aguilar, Derek Budnik, Michael Cabot, Monika Danilowski, Athena Fahey, Christina Gambino, Polo Andre Gamboa, Rachel Guler, Brandon Guzman, Jacob Gwozdz, Claudia Halik, Ahmad Hussein, Gianna Igoe, David Jacquez, Jovan Jocic, Radoslaw Korzeniak and Nickolaus Makowski.

Dominic Maurello, Musaab Mohammad, Jacob Niezgoda, Matthew Olewinski, Christopher Pacer, Karen Perez, Taylor Peterman, Joanna Piotrowski, Vanessa Pontarelli, Christina Rizos, Jed Sibayan, Konrad Skowyra, Megan Straughn, Krzysztof Szczepanek, Ashley Szorc, Taylor Vega, and Julia Wolosz.

John V. Leigh School

Adel Al Ghazwi, Amanda Barnum, Antonio Biondo, Kamila Bochenek, Samuel Bortis, Joanna Budzinska, Chelsie Cano, Adam Chrzastowski, Alexis Dillon, Kevin Disselhorst, Aleksandar Dobric, Aalia Galati, Sebastian Gembis, Klaudia Gil, Ann Giuliano, Rita Gondek, Emily Hamden, Graziella Iliescu, Natalie Kaczowka, Eryk Kamysz, Tyler Keith, and Ronan Kenny.

Mercedes Lewicki, Joely Liacone, Vasilios Liakouras, Gina  Marchese, Sebastian Milka, Luis Morales, Sumaya Muharram, Roberto Nuccio, Maya Ostrowski, Patrick Owens, Sebastian Placzek, Justin Plaud, Dzenana Prijic, Enes Prijic, Anabel Reiker, Noah Rodriguez, Aylin Ruiz, Alexandra Sawasciuk, Kel Shanley, Adrian Sherifi, Nicole Sobocinski, Stephen  Sulimowski, Aleksandra Swiac, John Wachala, Dixie Williams, and Marina Zivanovic.

Seventh Grade

James Giles School

Adrianne Adaya, Angel Arroyo, Nikolina Asanin, Alyssa Birchfield, Angelika Brzoziewski, Sharmaine Buizing, Brendan Burns, Kaitlyn Crisantos, Matthew Dalecki, Amanda Dynak, Anna Florek, Valerie Gale, Olimpia Giacalone, Olsi Gjata, Miriam Guler, Roman Hernandez, Ivy Huynh, Mia Iovino, Lance Phillip Juridico, Jibril Kishanov, and Julia Kowalik.

David Lajca, Sarah Mahoney, Guillermo Martinez, Katarina Milosevic, Nadleen Mubarak, Melisa Muldaka, Vince Noe, Olivia Oleksiuk, Ralph Gabriel Parcon, Logan Rawson, Nathaniel James Ringelstein, Lucia Ruffolo, Austin Ruman, Christina Sciullo, Julie Torres, Stefania Tullio, Katarina Urosevic, Melinda Van, Perlat Velaj, Dominik Wieckowicz, and Erik Zielinski.

John V. Leigh School

Zayneb Al Harbi, Kevin Ayeski, Konrad Belzek, Thomas Bojarskyj,  Joshua Bortis, Julie Clark, Jan Cwieczkowski, Imoni Dejesus, Peter Diamond, Brandon Ducar, John Duszynski Junior, Grace Gonzales, Stavros Kalogerakos-Velasco, Adam Kassam, Amanda Knecht, and Nick Kurzac.

Isabelle Lipski, Nicole LoRusso, Juan Luis, Angela Magnelli, Samuel Manilla, Gabrielle Piechota, Abby Poulos, Sebastian Radziszewski, Gianna Ruffolo, Stefan Sawasciuk, Chloe Stenson, Laura Strutz, Nicholas Troppina, Adam Tyszka, and Anthony Vitale.

Sixth Grade

James Giles School

Isabella Baran, Jacob Blevins, Ross Bloecker, Santino Camillo, Hensi Dauti, Makarem Diab, Angelina Fahey, Elvira Hadzhieva, Joseph Ingratta, Isra Khan, Jakub Kowalski, Marta Kozan, Alexandra Koziol, Eric Kubacki, Maxwell Kulevich, Klaudia Loch, Daniel Mahoney, Ally Marvin, Alyssa Melendez, Robert  Mescall, and Mateja Miskovic.

Aseel Mohammad, Rory Moore, Mia Munoz, Leonard O’Connor, Miamarie Ocampo, Chiara OLeary, Olivia Palusheck, Mia Pollizze, Nikola Radisavljevic, Ryan Rivera, Anabella Rossi, Jack Ryan, Dana Salamah, Jamila Salamah, Sara Silaj, John Swiderek, Cassandra Szczech, Matthew Szterlus, Amanda Truong, Milica Utvic, Andrea Vazquez, and Sarah White.

John V. Leigh School

Lilia Alaverdyan, Gianna Amundsen, Jason Anderson, Joseph Badalamenti, Andrew Bortis, Michaela Bruno, Olivia Budek, Shannon Crotty, Joseph Dolcimascolo, Alyssa Giovannielli, Katelyn Hamden, Anibal Hernandez-Martinez, Jelena Jaksic, Vasilios Katsambas, Igor Kinal, Chloe Lewicki, Frank Magnelli, and Benjamin Nguyen.

Kenny Nguyen, Dylan O Shea, Julia Opalka, Makayla Owens, Jay Patel, Kevin Petryszak, Julia Pielaszkiewicz, Paulina Placzek, Maria Reiker, Michael Robak, Alexis Rohde, Kathryn Romanowski, Giuliana Rossi, Anthony Ryan, Esra Senyuz, Nicole Shumsky, Eden Sienkiewicz, Michal Strojek, Dean Sulimowski, Brielle Susmarski, Viktoria  Tyszka, and Wiktoria Wzorek.

Sometimes it takes someone from outside one’s box to open one’s eyes.

Marina Pojani, and eighth-grade student at Pennoyer School in Norridge moved to the United States from Albania in 2008.

She earned recognition from the Anti-Defamation League, Chicago Chapter, at its Jerold S. Solovy Freedom Award Dinner last month for her essay on how the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affects her daily life.

She was among 2,000 finalists chosen from essays entered by several thousand middle and high school students, according to the ADL.

“My family moved here for more opportunities,” Pojani explained. “If you need a book, here you don’t have to know someone to get it.

“Everybody is treated equally, and that explains it all,” she said of what the First Amendment means to her.

The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

In her essay Pojani wrote, “Back in my country where I spend most of my summers, many of my friends tell me that in order to order a book, they have to know the director.

“And that’s not an exaggeration.

“I strongly believe that even though the freedom of speech is guaranteed in the Albanian Constitution, in reality that means nothing if education and the access to information is a privilege for a few.”

Pojani reiterated the point that education is the key. And learning English was instrumental.

With help from a notebook, Pojani said she was able to learn English in about three months She was eight years old at the time.

“If I didn’t know a word, I would put it in the book,” she said, along with the definition.

Sometimes, she resorted to artwork.

“With one teacher, we would draw pictures,” Pojani said with a smile.

Between the notebook and pestering her dad, Pojani said she became fluent in English by the time she reached third-grade.

Speaking in English with her brother, Andri, who moved to the states a few years earlier, also was helpful.

Reading all seven “Harry Potter” books in less than a month was another of her achievements.

“I was captivated by the stories, but I always would get scared toward the end of each book,” she said, “so I would call my dad and have him on the line when I came to the end.

“The endings are scary.”

That she was able to learn English so quickly is a tribute to her determination, said Principal Susan Miceli.

“It’s good to know many languages,” Pojani said. “Now I’m looking forward to learning French.”

These dreams are available because of the First Amendment’s guarantee of access to information, she explained.

In her essay, Pojani wrote, “When I speak with my Albania friends, I understand that although liberties and rights are secured by law, that alone is not enough.

“It’s the education that makes the difference. It makes people aware of their own rights, and teaches how to use these rights.

“It allows people to freely exercise their own rights, which enable them to think. Freedom of speech is nothing without the freedom of thought.

“And freedom of thought comes with education.”

In addition to furthering her education, Pojani loves to play volleyball and basketball.

“I also like hanging out with friends and reading for fun,” she said.

Miceli called Pojani a “triple threat.”

“She’s good in academics, good in making friends and good in sports,” Miceli said with a laugh.

High school football could cease to exist in some towns if a concussion lawsuit filed against the Illinois High School Association succeeds, officials with the organization said Friday.

IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman said some schools would not be able to afford on-call doctors for practices, computer-based concussion screening and other changes sought by the former prep quarterback who is suing the group.

“If this lawsuit is successful, it will present challenges to high school football programs that are … so far-reaching for many schools, they will undoubtedly adversely affect high school programs, and could eliminate some programs in Illinois,” he said at a news conference.

The IHSA’s public push-back comes less than a week after Daniel Bukal, who played in the early 2000s at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the organization doesn’t do enough to stem the potential damage from concussions.

Bukal claims in the suit that he sustained multiple concussions during games and practices, and that he still suffers from lightheadedness, memory loss and migraines related to the injuries.

Hickman, though, pointed to numerous new safety rules the IHSA and state lawmakers have put into place in recent years, including mandatory concussion education for coaches and the cessation of hitting during summer practice.

Some of the measures sought by the lawsuit are already being done at many schools, he said. But because the IHSA is an organization run by its members, he said the group cannot make broad changes to its safety policies without their consent.

Court-imposed changes, he said, could create a two-tier system of high school sports in Illinois, where wealthier districts can afford new safety mandates and higher insurance costs, and poorer districts are forced to drop football.

“I think that’s a place we don’t want to go,” he said. “That’s one of the risks of this lawsuit, that only the folks who can afford to have these extra requirements are going to continue to have these programs, and only their kids are going to benefit from these programs. That would be an injustice. That would be a shame.”

Bukal’s attorney, Joe Siprut, could not immediately be reached for comment.

jkeilman@tribpub.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman

When I turned 40, I started running into friends and acquaintances of a similar age who began complaining about bad backs and weakened and aching knees.

“How did you hurt yourself?” I’d ask.

Invariably they would answer, “Football.”

If they had played in the NFL, I surely would have heard about it long before the complaint of aching knees. Guys who played pro football, even for a minute, have a knack for working it into a conversation early in a friendship.

“Yeah, that reminds me of a guy on the taxi squad when I played football,” they’d say over a beer.

“Oh, where did you play?” Is the polite follow up question.

“No big deal. I spent a year on the bench with Cleveland.”

I once met a guy who played a pre-season game with the Bears but was always a former Bear in the neighborhood.

But friends who would one day would complain about aching backs and wobbly knees never came close to NFL sideline.

So I would guess they played in college and would ask about it.

“Nope, high school,” was almost always the answer.

Old high school football injuries haunting relatively young men seemed a high price to pay. Turns out, there may be an even higher price.

Last week it was reported that a former high school football player has filed suit against the state organization that regulates high school sports, the Illinois High School Association, claiming it didn’t do enough to protect athletes from potential concussions.

The former athlete played football at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles in the early 2000s. He claims he suffers from lightheadedness, memory loss and migraines related to multiple concussions he apparently suffered while playing high school football.

If such a suit goes forward, and this is a class action suit, what does it mean for the future of high school football and youth football?

We’ve already seen hundreds of former NFL players sue the NFL because of the brain injuries they claim to have suffered. Former college players have also sued.

Now we have a suit from a high school player. If my anecdotal evidence is any indication, there’s got to be a lot more former high school football players who may have suffered brain injuries.

If they start suing, can high school football survive?

It has been reported that nine deaths have occurred this year from football injuries. Schools are changing rules for less contact in practice as a preventative measure. But it begs the question, if head contact is dangerous, why are you letting kids do it at all?

An insurance industry journal earlier this month reported a study of high school football players indicated that a single season of football hits, even with no concussion, led to brain abnormalities in the student subjects.

More studies and more research need to be done. But at what point does the potential risk outweigh the perceived benefits of teenagers playing football?

Even through the tough times, Sue Douglass is a die-hard Chicago Bears fan.

But the Park Ridge elementary school teacher never imagined an ordinary school assembly would turn into a meeting with Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey or that she would be spending her birthday on the sidelines of the Bears-Cowboys game at Soldier Field.

A visibly stunned Douglass, who has taught third grade at Carpenter School for 18 years, learned during a Dec. 3 surprise assembly that she was a recipient of the Symetra Hero in the Classroom award, an honor given to 16 Chicago area teachers by Symetra Financial Corporation in partnership with Gallagher Benefit Services and the Chicago Bears.

In addition to a trip to the Dec. 4 game at Soldier Field, Douglass was presented with a Bears jersey with her name on the back, a football autographed by Bears player Jermon Bushrod and a check for $1,000 that she may use for classroom materials.

Douglass wasn’t initially sure what the assembly was even about, she said. All she knew was that she had to be there and lead her third-graders in the patriotic songs she has been teaching them all year. Few people in the school knew about the award, and Douglass’s family members, who had been told about it two weeks earlier, were sworn to secrecy.

“I cannot believe I met Mr. McCaskey,” exclaimed Douglass, wearing her Bears jersey and clutching a bouquet of flowers presented to her during the assembly. “That’s unbelievable!”

“She doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body,” joked Douglass’ daughter, Sara Born, also a teacher in Park Ridge. “But she reads the sports news every day.”

It was Douglass’ love of football that inspired Carpenter School Principal Brett Baldruf to nominate her for the Hero in the Classroom award.

“Sue and I talk about football all the time,” he said. “She’s a big supporter of the Maine South football program, a big supporter of the Bears. With her passion for football and her constantly going above and beyond for her students, it was an easy pick.”

Balduf also credited Douglass with applying classroom lessons to real life through her “Douglass stories,” real tales about experiences she and members of her family have had.

“Whenever Sue says, ‘That reminds me of a Douglass story,’ the students sit up attentively, ready for a humorous and engaging lesson disguised as a story,” Balduf said.

Douglass also makes it a point to teach her students the words and melodies of more than a dozen patriotic compositions she calls “flag songs.” She also takes the children on field trips to the Summit of Uptown retirement community where they can perform for the residents and share some “positive energy,” Balduf said.

“She’s the teacher that will take that extra step for everybody,” he added.

The Hero in the Classroom award was presented to 16 teachers in the Chicago area. Teachers are nominated for the honor and selected for educational excellence, for making a difference in their students’ lives and for helping them build skills for life.

For Douglass, teaching was an ambition since her childhood days.

“When I was a little kid, I would come home from school and play school. That’s sick, now that I think about it,” she mused before laughing. “There was never a question. Never a question.”

Douglass’ love of teaching also rubbed off on her daughters, Sara Born and Martha Pietsch. Born teaches third-graders at Washington School in Park Ridge, and Pietsch is a special-education teacher in Houston, Texas.

“She tries new things, she’s not afraid to take risks,” Born said of her mother.

Douglass’ interest in Maine South football puts her in the stands for every home game and she keeps tabs on players who were her former students.

“I’m so proud of them,” she said. “When they won the state championship, I sent each Carpenter boy a separate letter. One kid wrote back and said, ‘I was in your class.’ I said, ‘No kidding! That’s why I wrote!’ They were amazed.”

“She knows everything about Maine South football,” said the team’s coach, David Inserra, who visited Douglass to congratulate her on her award. “I get to present here every other year for career day, and she does an intro that sounds like she’s part of the coaching staff. She’s a long-time supporter of these kids who have gone through her school and she’s a super Hawk fan.”

Hearing about the accomplishments of her students as they move through life is a source of pride for Douglass.

“What’s most fulfilling is when you see them after they leave you and they relate all the things they remember about being class and they tell you all their success stories,” she said.

And students also appear proud of Douglass. One by one, current and former students stopped to give Douglass a hug and a “congratulations” before they headed home after the assembly.

“Good job, Mrs. Douglass!” called out one boy.

It’s a sentiment with which her son, David, agrees.

“It’s quite deserved and a real honor,” he said of her Hero in the Classroom title.

Union Ridge School announces first trimester honor roll students in the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels for the eighth, seventh and sixth grades.

GOLD

Eighth-Grade: Katarzyna Lechowska, Klaudia Podsada Heba Rubi, Nicholas Scaletta, Julia Tomczyk, Milica Videnovic, Adam Witusik

Seventh-Grade: Nadia Attia, Katherin Barnas, Evelyn Dziekan, Mateusz Wilk Juraszek, Aoife Lyons, Reagan Mceleney, Haley Pedd, Sophia Rasche, Karolina Szelag, Jason Tran, Audrey Trevino, Nicole Woloszyn

Sixth-Grade: Anita Borawski, Taylor Chan, Claire Kelly, Natalia Kwak, Isabel Larose, Matthew Le, Julia Miezal, Hailey Niedholdt, Holly Pistolarides, Yaraslau Varabyeu

SILVER

Eighth-Grade: Giuseppe Caringella, Alexandra Drozdowska, Nur Z. Abdel Halim, Olivia Jarosz, Paula Kopec, Szymon Kuligowski, Taylor McFall, Jovana Stanojevic, Victoria Stogowska, Alyssa Valdivia, Justin Varela

Seventh-Grade: Paulina Buczynska, Raine Michelle Calimutan, Kathryn Jackowski, Piotr Biel, Jacob Dunaj, Nicholas Lagorra, Mateusz Perkowski, Christian Longo, Paul Plichta

Sixth-Grade: Caitlyn Adams, Annamaria De Ceglie, Joshua Gonzalez, Natalie Pecaro, Natalia Skyba, Krystian Szczech, Thomas Velisaris, Nikolija Videnovic

BRONZE

Eighth-Grade: Barosz Baran, Ahmad Bendaoud, Andrea Big, Karen Cumba, James Degrazia, Mairead Fagan, Jeremy Garcia, Ayleen Guardado, Sami Haidouchi, Hamza Husein, Lucas Meier, Rebecca Minutillo, Stefania Santoro, Gintare Survilaite, Jamie Tran, Luis Rivadeneira Wandem

Seventh-Grade: Zachary Ali, Destiny Araujo, Anna Bidnik, Sidney Calderon, Maxwell Dignos, Maysa Hasan, Leslie Hernandez, Alex Trinh, Damian Las, Jeremy Linares, Nataliya Oliynyk, Aailyah Samano, Jocelyn Santiago, Vincenzo Santoro, Marina Ventrella

Sixth-Grade: Yasmeen Alqaissi, Kiara Cannon, Richard Chen, Dominic Colletti, Diana Garcia, Adam Klopotowski, Konrad Kruszek, Jack La Course, Tomasz Lechowski, Hailey Moll, Vasilios Tsagaris

Transitioning to high school from grammar school can be a daunting task.

To reach out to families and ease the process, Ridgewood High School hosted an open house Dec. 2.

New this year was allowing parents and students to customize the tour by selecting four presentations among 14 options, explained Jen Snyder, director of student services at Ridgewood .

“We let them choose their own adventure,” she said. “That way they could customize the experience.

The program is open to both seventh- and eighth-graders so parents can come both years.

Ewa Baran brought her son to the open house to see what the school had to offer in the way of technology.

“There’s always something new, and your future depends on knowing how (technology) works,” she said.

Her son, Bart, was impressed by the offerings, especially for preparation into the job world.

“It seems like whatever I want, I can find here,” he said.

Future student Jimmy Spanda called the introduction to high school “pretty cool.”

“They have some very good college prep classes,” he noted.

His father, Jim, was impressed with the depth of knowledge of the faculty.

“There are some very informative teachers here,” he said.
Both were quick to praise the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum. Part of the school’s five-year renovation project included a wing for STEM classes.

Julie (Marbach) Due, an alumna of Ridgewood, now serves as principal at St. Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge.

“I now have a lot of parents from Norridge asking me for recommendations for high school,” she said. “Since my niece attends St. Eugene’s, I thought it would be worth a trip” to check out her alma mater.

Her take on the school was that it was very inclusive, having classes that address all students’ needs, from advanced placement to special education, and the capability to help those who want to thrive but need a boost.

“They don’t teach religion, but they do stress what it takes to be a good citizen,” Due said. “I was very impressed.”

With two children already at the high school and two in junior high at Union Ridge School, one parent said the event was a great opportunity for her to know what’s going on in school.

“The tour was great, but too short,” she said.

“It’s just a taste to get kids excited,” explained bi-lingual teacher Renee Rudnicki. “If this gives families a feel for our involvement, then it’s ‘mission accomplished.’”

Anthony Pipitone noted a big difference since 1985, when he was a student.

“It’s a lot better,” he said as he toured the school with his son, Michael. “I want him to succeed academically and in sports.

The younger Pipitone said, “I just like all the help you get from teachers.”

Snyder said 90 percent of the kids know they are coming to Ridgewood.

“It’s that 10 percent we want to see what the school has to offer, our investment in curricular needs.”

That includes new formats and an expanded science, math and extra curricular schedule.

“Some of our graduates make it to upper echelon schools,” she said, seeking to dispel a myth that RHS grads are not accepted in prestigious colleges.

She noted parents are extremely involved in the public school systems that feed into Ridgewood, which has an enrollment of 800.

“We’re small, but we take pride in that the kids get that personal attention,” she said. “That’s what sets Ridgewood apart.

A list of safety-driven improvements is set to get underway next summer at Union Ridge School in Harwood Heights thanks to the Illinois Safe Routes to School Grant, which was awarded to School District 86 last week.

The $141,800 grant will fund improvements to the pedestrian passageways near the school, including a makeover of the aging brick walkway in front of the school on Carl Cassata Sr. Lane and Oak Park Avenues.

The safety makeover, which is planned to start next summer, will also include the installation of modern signage in compliance with a new state mandate taking effect next year that requires municipalities to start posting more reflective signs for motorists.

Superintendent John Kosirog said he hoped the improvements would include new signs that alert drivers to their speed as they drive by the school. Detailed plans for the project are expected to be released next year.

“Speeding is a problem on Oak Park Avenue,” Kosirog said. “We have speed limit signs posted, but people often don’t realize they’re driving by a school.”

Other improvements planned under the grant include the restriping of the pedestrian walkways leading to the school and plans to reconfigure the sidewalk ramps around the school to make them more accessible.

Arlene Jezierny, village president of Harwood Heights, said next summer’s improvements would also help address congestion issues that arise during pick-up and drop-off times.

“The grant will help us make the sidewalks and intersections around the school safer,” Jezierny said. “Once the school reaches the end of the school year it will be a perfect time to begin the work.”

Kosirog said he was grateful to have additional funds available to pay for safety improvements.

“We’re very excited by it,” Kosirog said. “Any time we can work to improve the safety of the school for the kids—that’s our first priority.”

A tax levy for 2014 of about $8.6 million was approved by the Norridge District 80 school board on Tuesday.

The levy was approved during the Dec. 9 school board meeting. It is estimated to be 3.5 percent higher than the previous year’s levy of about $8.15 million, according to information from the school board.

The 2014 levy will include property tax revenue from the new Mariano’s store on Lawrence Avenue.

Breaking down the levy, the largest portion of tax dollars received by the district—about $7.3 million—will fund the school district’s education fund, which includes teacher salaries and benefits, according to information from the school district.

About $672,000 of the levy will fund District 80’s operations and maintenance fund. Close to $135,000 will go toward the transportation fund, and about $400,000 will fund the municipal retirement fund and the social security fund.

The rest of the levied taxes will fund special education programming and fire prevention and safety.

Although the opening of the new Mariano’s store is expected to contribute to a 1.9 percent boost in new property tax dollars for the school district, overall property values fell this year by about 7.75 percent, or $26.3 million, according to information from the school district.  The total EAV in 2013 was about $339 million, and the estimated total for 2014 is just short of $313 million.

New construction for 2014 is expected to total nearly $6 million, according to the school district’s information.

There were no comments made by taxpayers or school board members regarding the levy during the Dec. 9 board meeting.

Night has fallen in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. A group of students from Ridgewood High School gingerly head out into the cold December evening to help feed the neighborhood’s impoverished residents.

The students, many of them freshmen, ride in a car driven by an older mentor as they trail close behind a Salvation Army Mobile Feeding Unit.

When the Salvation Army driver stops alongside a group of hungry people who have gathered on the sidewalk to meet the truck, the teenagers jump out and grab a bunch of brown paper-bagged dinners to hand off to the hungry recipients.

The paper lunch sacks are decorated with bows and holiday images drawn in magic marker by their classmates earlier during the school day.

Inside each bag are a few simple food items including a ham and cheese sandwich, pretzels, chocolate cookies, and an apple.

About 200 Ridgewood students made 900 “supper sacks” between Dec.  5 and Dec. 9 that will help feed the hundreds of homeless and struggling residents of the crime-ridden South Side neighborhood.

Infamous for shootings and gang activity, Englewood is an area of the city that mostly-white suburban teenagers would usually avoid, but senior Julia Przepiora said her fears dissipated after her first visit two years ago.

Przepiora is one of 40 upperclassmen at Ridgewood who work with the freshmen class of 180 students as part of a mentoring program at the school.

“I was nervous to go out there at first, but when I handed the food and a pair of gloves to a little girl who approached the truck it felt rewarding to help people who need it,” Przepiora said.

The mentor program, led by the school’s communications director Carol Valentino-Barry, pairs freshman students with an adult and older-student mentors, who work together to complete a different service project each month. The activities focus on skills like goal-setting, time management, and how to manage limited resources—time and money, for example.

“December mentoring is pretty much about service—making the sandwiches and delivering them,” Valentino-Barry said.” This is our fourth year making the trip to deliver the sandwiches, and we continue to realize how important it is to connect the students to those in need.”

All the freshman pitch in to put together the bagged dinners during a class period, but only a handful of students like Przepiora volunteer to stay late and go to Englewood for the in-person deliveries.

“Service is on the students’ own time,” Valentino-Barry said. “Because it’s not required, nor is it a ‘get-out-of-school’ field trip, it’s a bit of a risk and the students need some encouragement.”

Last week, even the students who choose not to take the trip out to Englewood had the chance to see a face of the homeless who has benefited by their work.

Henry Williams had lived on the street for eight years in the same spot across from the Ogilvie Transportation Center until one night last January when he was approached by a Salvation Army volunteer who spotted him under a mound of tattered sheets and blankets.

A year later, Williams is in Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center for adults recovering from homelessness, and is working hard to get his GED and find employment.

Williams, who was brought to safety on a night when the thermometer had dipped to negative 18 degrees, came to Ridgewood on Dec. 2 to talk to the kids about the importance of their service project.

Valentino-Barry said Williams talked about how the simple act of making a sandwich can have a huge impact on one person’s day.

“I think they’re getting the idea that they’re fortunate and blessed to have what they do, and that connecting to the greater good gives them a greater sense of purpose,” Valentino-Barry said.

Freshman Riana Go, 14, said she started volunteering for Toys for Tots while she was in junior high, and the experience helped her see that helping people “works both ways,” she said.

“You’re doing something good for someone else, but you’re getting a sense of accomplishment in return,” Go said. “One little thing you do can brighten a person’s day.”

Years of practice, discipline and hard work have paid off for two Norridge teens.

Haley Soltwedel and Brittany Susmarski will be participating in London’s New Year’s Day parade.

The Norridge residents were among those chosen to perform with other All-Star Camp members from across the country.

They will be leaving the day after Christmas and coming back the day after New Year’s Day.

For the parade, they will have to learn, from a CD, a dance, a cheer and a jump.

They will have one day to practice their routine with the other All-Star Camp members before performing in the parade.

All-Star is more competitive and has more difficult routines than what the Ridgewood High School squad performs along the sidelines at Ridgewood games, the two explained.

“All-Star is more intense,” Susmarski said.

“There’s more training needed,” Soltwedel said.
Both Susmarski and Soltwedel have been cheerleading since joining the Norridge Park District’s program at early ages.

Soltwedel’s introduction came when she was 5 years old.

“I just love it and I find it so rewarding,” she said of her decision to continue with the sport.

Susmarski followed in her sister’s footsteps.

“I was three years old, so I was too young to be on the team, but I got to be the (Norridge Park District team’s) mascot,” she said.

Camaraderie between Soltwedel and Susmarski  built up over the years.

In grammar school, both competed against each other because they were on different teams.

Once they made the Ridgewood squad, compatibility came quickly.

“When we tried out and made the team, we instantly became friends,” Susmarski said.

When asked if her version was accurate, Soltwedel quickly responded in the affirmative.

Both agreed knowing their routine in the London parade will be the scariest day of their lives, they look forward to the challenge.

“It’s the rush you get when you perform,” Susmarski said.

A longtime tradition maintained for many years at Maine Township High School District 207 honors three high-achieving students each month in the 207’s Best program, which spotlights teens for achieving outside of the classroom.

December’s three honorees — Rhys Bakulinski of Maine West, Julia Koza of Maine South, and Rachel Stan of Maine East — were recognized during the December school board meeting for notoriety in their respective school’s fine arts department.

Each month, teachers nominate students for a different rotating achievement category, including community service, improved performance, and this month’s category, performing /fine arts.

Then an executive committee at each of the three high schools selects the final winners, who are later commended by school board members, parents and friends at the monthly board meetings.

The three young women honored this month cover three major aspects of fine arts programming: drama, music, and television production.

Bakulinski, who was nominated by her fine arts teachers for being “intellectually inquisitive, witty, and willing to help others grow in their artistic endeavors” (according to Maine West principal Audrey Hagan), is a leader in the school’s drama and photography programs.

The future musical theater major at Columbia College in Chicago has submerged herself in acting and broadcasting during high school by performing in school musicals and the variety show, and by managing the Maine West student radio station.

Maine South’s Koza, who told the school board she plans to attend either DePaul University or North Park University and major in music education, has a passion for “everything music,” according to school Principal Shawn Messmer.

In between fulfilling her role as the school’s marching band drum major, Koza also stays active in the Italian and Polish clubs, and sings in the Maine South choir. She was recently selected for the Illinois Music Education Association District 7 Honor Choir.

Messmer said Koza is a “consistent leader in the Fine Arts Department who was nominated by her teachers for being hardworking, consistent, curious, friendly, relaxed, and respectful.”

While Bakulinski and Koza prefer the spotlight of the stage, Stan shines behind the scenes as the manager of Maine East’s TV station, a position she’s held for the past two years.

Described by her broadcasting teacher Phil Ash as having a “natural gift for storytelling,” Stan has received two awards at the Chicago Television Educators Council film festival and was honored with second place recognition in the “exceptional work” category at this year’s Northbrook Youth Film Festival.

Maine East principal Michael Pressler commended Stan for being successful in using video “as a vehicle to communicate her insights and as a means to evoke thoughtful reflection from her viewers.”

Stan plans to continue her TV broadcasting studies at Liberty University in Virginia after she graduates high school in the spring. She intends to major in cinematic arts, according to a press release from School District 207.

Now that so many elementary school students are adept at using a computer, Illinois educators want to take them to the next level: programming them.

More specifically, the skill called “coding” is starting to slowly be phased into curricula at districts across the state.

Pennoyer School in Norridge has joined the frenzy to train students in a skill that would take them down a career path where they would be assured to find a job.

“There are more jobs for coding than people with the knowledge,” said sixth-grade teacher Willie Madueno.

Pennoyer Principal Susan Miceli noted the field is new, and competent employees are hard to find. “I hope this spawns an interest,” she said.

Broken into various age- and ability-appropriate options, the one-hour tutorial the school is using to introduce the skill, is geared to help students write computer codes so they can design programs and games, among other things, said Miceli.

Khan Academy, a not-for-profit global agency,  created the “Hour of Code” program, a national online application that teaches the skills of coding.

Code is a specific kind of language that will tell the computer what to do, Madueno told his students.

“It’s imperative students learn this, and the sooner the better, so it’s not a barrier,” Madueno added.

He noted the code-writing program fits in well with the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program.

“It ties into STEM, and can be integrated into every aspect of technology,” he said.

Student Gianfranco DellaSantina said he was quick to catch on to coding.

“I’m comfortable with working on a computer,” he said. “It comes naturally, so I always help others. He credited learning by practicing. He said his goals are to build websites and shapes.

“Anything on an electronic [device].”

Natalia Houpy also caught on quickly.

She credited knowing coordinates from math, which helped her with the design.

“I want to do something different, something creative,” she said.

Filip Majka said learning the code was a little complicated at first. “But it was fun once I got used to it.”

His introduction to code piqued his interest. “I’m ready to learn more.”

Alex Ojea learned how to make rectangles, but he is not stopping there.

“I want to be writing code so I can be as big as one of those Microsoft guys,” he said with a big grin.

More than 600 people gathered to hear the angelic voices of hundreds of Pennoyer students resonating throughout the school Wednesday night during the annual holiday choral concert.

The Pennoyer holiday music concert is the most anticipated event of the year for the school’s long-running music program.

The kids sing 24 songs together as a group to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and the many different nationalities of its students. The concert also offers a chance for students with musical talents other than singing to shine.

For fourth-grade twins Alexandra and Ivan Shapkarov, the Pennoyer holiday concert was a chance to show off their piano-playing skills to their classmates for the first time.

The pair teamed up to play a joint holiday song together called “Pat-a-Pan.”

Alexandra Shapkarov said she was nervous to play in front of her classmates, but the song “started getting easier by the minute,” she said.

“I like playing piano because it helps me do better in school,” Shapkarov said. “If you master the piano you can master anything.”

The Pennoyer holiday concert presents a rare moment each year when students throughout the school get together and sing as a group, but Pennoyer continues to offer year-round opportunities that allow students with a passion for music to engage in their love of singing during all months of the year.

Music director Lisa Petergal launched Pennoyer’s first after-school choral program when she was hired to teach music at the school 20 years ago.

“I was a general music teacher, and I saw so many kids who loved singing and wanted more opportunities to sing,” Petergal said. “I asked if I could start an after-school group, and it eventually started growing over the years.”

The program was slow to catch on, Petergal admits, with only about 12-15 students joining during the first year. But over the years more kids started to join, and the chorus has now since doubled in size to include about 30 kids in grades fourth through eighth this school year.

With five different grades of students in a single choir, Pennoyer’s choral program is structured differently than the traditional elementary and middle school choruses because it infuses the wide range of ages together into one unified singing group.

The range of multiple grades gains even more diversity in the way Petergal sets up the singers to perform different parts of each song.

Instead of separating the altos from the sopranos and the more mature voices from the high-pitched ones like most school choruses do, Pennoyer’s chorus is divided into just two groups, with the girls singing all the higher-pitched parts of the songs and the boys taking the lower notes.

“This is one big group with everyone singing together,” Petergal said. “We don’t have any basses or tenors because most of the boys’ voices haven’t changed yet.”

The diverse age range encourages teamwork, Petergal said. The older students take on the role of mentors by helping the younger kids read the music and understand the harmonies.

“They interact together similar to the relationship between older and younger brothers and sisters,” she said.

Hollywood hasn’t spoiled Norridge native Guy Nardulli.

On a recent visit back home, Nardulli stopped by his alma mater, Ridgewood High School, to talk about his days in Norridge and his current career for the last 11 years as an actor, playing roles in many police dramas.

“I never thought of going into acting,” he said during a taping of the local program, “Keeping it Real with Frankie D.”

“I did a little bit of acting in the Christmas pageants at Giles” Elementary School in Norridge, he said.

“I was more into football, lifting weights and deciding which classes to attend when I was in high school,” he said with a laugh about the school’s 20-minute module….. class schedule.

The lackadaisical attitude toward class attendance changed once he began attending Elmhurst College.

“That’s when I knew I needed to get serious,” he said. “In college, you have to attend the classes.”

Nardulli also found himself becoming more serious about football, playing with such teams as Chicago Thunder and Chicago Barnstormers and with a northern Italian team.

The road from football to acting came while he was doing fitness modeling on the side.

“I was in good shape from playing football,” he said.

While on a shoot in Jamaica, someone suggested he consider going to Hollywood.

Nardulli was hired quite soon after arriving, his first role being on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital.

“Because of my Italian heritage, I got cast as a ‘goon,’” Nardulli said.

For his second stint on the soap opera, he played a clean cop.

His luck ran out after that.

“The offers weren’t out there, and I considered coming back home,” he said.

But with support from his parents, he decided to stick it out another year.

“I started making money again,” he said, working on such shows as “Criminal Minds.”

“I bounced around, doing a lot of cops shows, but after 11 years, I’ve become more picky about my roles,” he said.

He no longer accepts roles that stereotype his Italian heritage, and with good reason.

Nardulli said he is proud of his heritage and of growing up in Norridge.

The support he received from family and friends keeps him going, and also keeps luring him back home.

He praised the village not only for its sense of community where everyone looks out for everyone else, but also for the camaraderie.

Most importantly, he said, was the high school’s theory of pride.

“I still remember that,” he said. “And it’s something I still use.”

Nardulli said he always wanted to do something for the school.

“I’ve been keeping in touch through Facebook.”

He jumped at the chance to visit his alma mater when he received an invitation to appear on the show.

“I’d do anything for this school,” he said.

As for his future, Nardulli will continue acting, but he expanded his vision.

“I wrote a script about two cops,” he said. “I’d like to shoot it here.”

What he’s working on now is finding funding.

Once that’s done, Nardulli said he planned on filming the story in the Chicago area.