Neighbors in the News
• Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 board of education named Jessica McIntyre and Tina Anderson assistant principals at Tripp and Pritchett elementary schools respectively. McIntyre has been teaching math at the junior high for the past four years while Anderson has been teaching third grade at Tripp for over eight years. They will assume their new positions Aug. 1.
• Prospect High School seniors Evan Guerino, Chris Colella and Markos Sarantopoulos, all students in Paul Hennig's entrepreneurship class, placed second in the DePaul University Entrepreneurship Competition after forming their company, WP Recycling, and presenting a business plan to a panel of judges.
• Kaylyn Slevin, daughter of William and Kristyn Slevin of South Barrington, was awarded the official title of Junior Miss Illinois 2009 for USA Productions Inc., the national producers of the Dream Girls USA Pageant program. In addition to winning her division, ages 7-9, she also won Overall Best Fashion and Best Runway Model. Slevin will now enjoy a year of making appearances, securing sponsors and performing community service. She will also advance to the National Finals being held in St. Louis, Mo., Memorial Day weekend.
• Three District 212 students were selected to make a humanitarian trip to Zambia, Africa, this summer. Adrian Moreno from Leyden's West campus, and Polina Zasheva and Denise Paarlberg from Leyden's East campus, were chosen by a committee of three teachers and two social workers based on criteria including character and the desire to help those living in poverty with incurable diseases; the ability to teach others about their experience and continue a life of volunteerism; leadership skills, volunteer experience, ability to work with others; and the willingness to be a fundraiser.
• Several Valparaiso University freshmen including Melissa Meyers, a meteorology major form Arlington Heights; Jennifer Johnson, a business major from Barrington; and Michelle Roy, a civil engineering major from Schaumburg, helped write and produce this year's Christ College Freshman production, "Show in Progress," as part of their participation in the university's interdisciplinary honors college. The Christ College freshman program is a two-semester sequence of interdisciplinary honors courses. During the fall semester, students have 10 weeks to write, stage and perform an original 90-minute theater piece with music based on ideas and themes encountered in the course.
• Debra Walusiak from the Self-Help Closet and Pantry of Des Plaines presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Louise Whisler and the Park Place Condominium Association, located at Brown and Laurel streets in Des Plaines, to thank the owners for participating in a holiday collection that netted around 200 pounds of food and three van loads of clothing for the nonprofit. Whisler said it was a very convenitnt way to give and encourages all condominium associations to help by conduction their own collection of food and clothes any time of year.