Ivy Hall school's chief named principal of year

• Palatine resident Dr. Peter King, principal of Ivy Hall School in Buffalo Grove since 1999, was selected as the Illinois Principals Association Lake County region's Elementary Principal of the Year for 2009. The Elementary Principal of the Year/National Distinguished Principals program recognizes excellence among elementary principals. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Illinois Principals Association.

• The new Harper College student trustee Kelly Redmond was officially sworn in at the college's May board meeting. Redmond grew up in Barrington and graduated from Barrington High School in 1996. She attended Harper from 1996 to1997 and worked with the college's radio station, WHOM. The Phi Theta Kappa student later transferred to Truman College and then University of Illinois at Chicago, completing a bachelor's degree in psychology before returning to Harper in August 2007, for a fresh start. She's now a part-time student in Harper's Cardiac Tech program and a participant in Harper's Emerging Leaders program. Her term runs for one year.

• Four-year old Noah K. van Herik of Arlington Heights won the US KIDS Golf World Championship qualifying tournament held Monday, June 22, at Heritage Bluffs Golf Course in Channahon, Ill. Van Herik shot a 36 on Friday, a 37 on Sunday and a 47 on Monday, to win the boys 6 and under age group. Winning this tournament qualifies him to enter the World Championships in the boys age division Aug. 6-8 in Pinehurst, N.C. Last year the tournament had 36 nations represented. This was his first formal tournament.

• Buffalo Grove resident David Schur was promoted to assistant vice president, protection finance, at Allstate Insurance, Northbrook. Schur previously served as a senior state manager for Encompass Insurance, a business unit of Allstate that offers insurance products through independent agencies.

• Charles Schultz and Salvatore Parenti III, both of Maine South High School; and Bryan Bishop and Sean Hansen, both of Maine West High School, earned a composite score of 36 - the highest mark possible - on their ACT exams.

The ACT, used widely by universities and colleges for admissions decisions, consists of English, math, reading and science tests - each segment of which is scored separately, on a scale of 1 to 36, and then factored together for the composite score. Fewer than one percent of all students who take the ACT earn a composite of 36. In fact, ACT statistics show that only one in every 3,300 students who took the exam in 2008 scored a composite of 36.

• Barbara Johnson of Arlington Heights was elected as an At-Large member of the Ducks Unlimited board of directors during the organization's annual convention in Denver, Colo. Duck Unlimited is a wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 12 million acres conserved.

The At-Large board member position provides assistance to the Flyway Senior vice president and regional vice president as well as assisting in the decision making process within the organization. Before this appointment, Johnson served on the Palatine Ducks Unlimited Chapter committee and also held a seat on the Conservation Program committee.

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