Give a cheer for winning coach
It's good news for Lynette Olexa, cheerleading coach at Batavia High School.
The dynamic coach was recently selected Cheerleading Coach of the Year by the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association. She was also inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame.
Olexa, who competed in nationals at the collegiate level, went on to share her love of the sport with students at both the middle school and high school levels.
I did a story on her program at Rotolo Middle School years ago and was surprised to find 89 girls involved. She felt it was really important for all girls to have the opportunity to cheer.
Before coming to Batavia High School, she coached at Fenton and Geneva high schools.
She doesn't just coach cheerleading as a sport. She coaches it as a life experience. The cheerleaders have goals and challenges. They also pick a project each year that they want to support and they work hard to raise money for those endeavors.
"She has put in so much time and love into the Batavia cheerleading program," said Chris Evenson, assistant coach. "I mean, to see everything she does, she must love cheerleading. It is truly amazing the work that is involved and how she keeps up with home and family. She has put Batavia cheerleading on the board."
Nick needs your help: Mike Stanch contacted me about the upcoming fundraiser for Nick Gautille.
Nick is 12 years old and suffers from L-Chadd, a rare disorder that prohibits his body from metabolizing fats.
As result, his diet and his lifestyle must be severely restricted in order to keep his body in balance. He can neither over eat nor under eat; rather, he must keep his caloric intake steady so that his metabolism remains at a "slow burn" pace.
His activities need to be monitored. He can never burn more calories than he consumes.
Money is being raised to give Nick a new wheelchair and make his home more accessible.
"We hope that people will support our fundraiser at the Mooseheart field house Friday, April 17," said Stanch. "We'll be serving a spaghetti dinner from 5 to 8 p.m.
The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 with a maximum of $30 per family."
I know Nick. He is an incredible kid. For information, call Mike Stanch at (630) 406-1338.
Not-so-weird science: Congratulations to the Batavia High School Robotics team, Method 2 Madness on their success at the FIRST Robotics Midwest regionals. They received the "Rookie All Star Award" and are headed to the nationals in Atlanta.
These are the future engineers of our society and they really make Batavia proud.