Boy Scouts to receive medals from cardinal
Seven local Boy Scouts from three different troops will join together Sunday morning at St. Raymond Catholic Church, at Elmhurst Avenue and Lincoln Street in Mount Prospect, to be honored for earning two Scouting religious awards.
Two of the Scouts -- Kevin Pleli of Troop 155 and Jonathan Ehret of Troop 23 -- earned the Ad Altare Dei award. Five more Scouts -- Andrew and Anthony Oplawski of Troop 117, Andy Barr of Troop 23, Mark Ressl of Troop 155 and Michael Higginson of Troop 117 -- earned the even more prestigious Pius XII award.
"The religious awards are national awards of Scouts and are overseen by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting," explained J. Kevin Chapman, one of the medals counselors. "The process starts in Cub Scouting and continues through Boy Scouting and Venturing and includes age-appropriate programs that take up to six months to earn."
On Feb. 24 the Scouts will then travel to Holy Name Cathedral where Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, will present them with their medals in a large archdiocesan ceremony. Close to 125 youths are expected to receive the Ad Altare Dei medal that day while 45 are expected to have earned the Pius XII award.
Skate for History:ŒSchoolchildren and their parents will have the opportunity Monday to celebrate Presidents Day with a skating party at the Central Community Center, 1000 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, which will help to preserve the 1896 Central School and support the Mount Prospect Historical Society. The party will run from noon to 5 p.m.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Mount Prospect Historical Society is hosting this party to raise funds to preserve Mount Prospect's valuable history. As you probably know, the group will make major progress in this regard later this spring when it moves the old one-room schoolhouse from its present location at Wille and Thayer streets to its new location at 103 S. Maple St.
Once moved, the schoolhouse will be restored to become an exhibit space, as well as a place for today's students to experience what school was like a century ago, according to Gavin Kleespies, executive director of the historical society.
Admission for the skating party will be $5 per person. Skates may be rented from the park district at an additional cost of $5 or skaters may bring in their own skates, which will be subject to inspection.
Disc jockey services for the afternoon are being provided by Ed Johnson, a professional DJ and member of the historical society's board of directors.
Please note that the group and the park district request that children in fourth grade and under be accompanied by a parent.
Pizza, pop and candy will be sold throughout the afternoon, as part of the fund-raising effort, Kleespies said, so plan on enjoying your lunch at the CCC, too.
Parent/Teen Retreat:ŒParents and teens are invited to participate together in the second annual John Camardella Parent/Teen Retreat to be held April 26 at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights. The cost for this retreat is $75 per person and deposits of $50 per family are due by Wednesday.
According to the organizer, Mary Horstman of Arlington Heights, Camardella, a teacher and coach at Prospect High School, will lead the retreat which will give parents and high school aged teens a chance to enrich their relationships, look at things in a new way and be understood.
Music for the day will be provided by the New Life Church Band from the University of Michigan.
Space is limited, so applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarships are available. Call (847) 577-8121 or e-mail McCretreat@gmail.com. Deposits should be mailed to Mary Horstman, 21 N. Wilshire Lane, Arlington Heights, IL 60004.