Oakton president named to Hall of Fame
Ÿ Oakton Community College President Margaret B. Lee was inducted into the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Hall of Fame during a ceremony Thursday, June 9, at the College of Lake County.
The Hall honors administrators, faculty, staff, athletes, coaches, community supporters and specific teams associated with the Illinois Skyway. In addition to Oakton, the conference consists of the College of Lake County, Elgin Community College, McHenry County College, Moraine Valley Community College, Morton College, Prairie State College, and Waubonsee Community College.
“President Lee has been, and is, a strong advocate of intercollegiate athletics and involves herself both personally and professionally with our program,” Athletic Director Bruce Oates said.
“In a time when many collegiate institutions have maintained the status quo, or even dropped sports, Oakton has expanded its athletic program to include 19 intercollegiate sports under her tenure.
“In addition, Peg invests her personal time to serve as a mentor for several of our men’s basketball players.”
Ÿ Allison Walsh, 17, of Mount Prospect took first place honors June 29 in the 16- to 17-year-old bracket at the 2011 COUNTRY Youth Classic Golf Tournament sponsored by COUNTRY Financial in Bloomington-Normal.
Walsh, the daughter of Patrick and Susan Walsh of Mount Prospect, competed against 49 players at Weibring Golf Course. She had a combined score of 160 for the two-day event. Par was 72.
The COUNTRY Youth Classic, established in 2002 for golfers age 3-22, took place June 27-29 on six Bloomington-Normal golf courses.
Ÿ Des Plaines resident Samantha Stevens was among 60 young musicians selected from throughout the country to attend the symphony session at Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Door County, Wis.
Stevens, a student at Maine East High School and the daughter of Carmen Stevens, studies trombone privately.
The center provides students with personal attention from faculty mentors, the opportunity to hone their technical skills and to learn about life as professional musicians.
Ÿ The Des Plaines Park District appointed Cynthia Yelich special events and social media coordinator effective June 27.
Yelich, who has more than 15 years of experience managing staff, budgets and recreation programs at both the Hanover and Addison park districts and Galyan’s Trading Company, will be responsible for organizing existing park district special events, as well as planning new programs.
She will also be responsible for helping to formulate a social media plan and implementing new systems of electronic communications for the district.
Yelich holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
Since 2004, she has been the recreation supervisor at the Pleasant Dale Park District.
Ÿ Katelyn Grunewald and Garrett Anderson, both of Palatine, Virginia Green of Hanover Park, Stephen Katz of Arlington Heights and Ela Stoklosa of Wheeling were among 11 Special Olympics athletes to become a certified Special Olympics Global Messenger at a training session at Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association in Addison.
A Global Messenger is a Special Olympics athlete who communicates the message and vision of the organization, while also sharing the benefits they have gained from participating. Each Global Messenger completes a two-day training session with a focus on public speaking and presentations.
Grunewald has been participating in Special Olympics with the Northwest Special Recreation Association for 12 years, competing in basketball, gymnastics, powerlifting and volleyball. She is a graduate of Palatine High School and is currently in the Adult Transitional Program. She also works for the YMCA as a preschool aid. In her free time, Grunewald enjoys cooking, shopping and watching musicals.
Anderson has been participating in Special Olympics with the Northwest Special Recreation Association for 11 years, competing in bowling and powerlifting. He is currently employed at Bright Horizons, where he helps teachers, washes dishes and is a greeter. In his free time, Anderson enjoys doing martial arts and yoga.
Green has been participating in Special Olympics with Hoffman High School for nine years. She currently attends Hoffman High School and plans to graduate in 2013. In her free time, Green participates in Best Buddies and enjoys watching movies and hanging out with her friends.
Katz has participated in Special Olympics with the Northwest Special Recreation Association for 19 years, competing in athletics, basketball, bowling, floor hockey, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, softball and volleyball. He currently works at Jewel, where he bags and recycles. He also participates in Buddy Baseball.
Stoklosa has participated in Special Olympics for three years, competing in athletics, basketball, cross country skiing, floor hockey, soccer and volleyball. She currently attends the Adult Transitional Program at her high school and participates in the SPRED program through her church. In her free time, Stoklosa enjoys baking, going to concerts and watching the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears.