District 214 honors its volunteers

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 presents the Distinguished Service Award annually to volunteers in recognition of their contributions to the district's high schools and educational programs.

This is the 37th year for the award.

The following volunteers are recognized as 2010 Distinguished Service Award winners for their leadership, commitment, and tireless energy.

Maria Rodriguez, Wheeling High School

During the past four years, Maria Rodriguez has been a committed and valuable Latino Parent Advisory Committee member. She uses her own experiences to engage and empower parents to become more involved in their child's education. She also shares how her involvement has evolved and positively impacted the relationships she has with school staff and her children.

Rodriguez's dedication to supporting families is evident in all that she does - whether it's reminding families about a meeting, helping incoming 9th grade families, or serving in various roles during a Latino Family Night meeting. As a District Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee member, Rodriguez provided great feedback and support to parents from other schools. In addition, she graciously shared her perspective on increasing parent involvement in schools with attendees at the Illinois School Counselor Association Conference in Chicago and Springfield.

Wheeling High School's successful community outreach is possible only through the ongoing support and involvement of parents like Maria Rodriguez.

Michael Soukup, Rolling Meadows High School Mike Soukup, a 1996 Rolling Meadows High School graduate, was a WildStang Robotics Team member during its inaugural year. Since his employment at Motorola as a software engineer, Soukup has served as an adult mentor on the WildStang team. For the past 10 years, he has worked on the software subteam teaching students the ins and outs of computer programming.Soukup increased his participation with WildStang by taking control of the VEX robot competition held in the Rolling Meadows High School theater in December. Numerous Wisconsin and Illinois teams participated in the competition, and Soukup assumed the leadership role of organizing and assigning jobs to the participants. The event was a huge success, so much so that RMHS hopes to repeat the competition next year.The WildStang Robotics Team's success is due to adult mentorships like Mike Soukup, who devotes hundreds of hours of time and effort to working with students.Fran Volz, Vanguard SchoolFran Volz, artist and founder of Snow Visions, has been a friend to Vanguard School since 1999. On multiple occasions, he has extended himself to Vanguard's students by inviting them to see his sculptures while they were in progress. He also has taken students to public places where he was completing sculptures for public viewing. In 2004, Volz invited Vanguard students to participate in a snow sculpture competition at Roosevelt University, where they placed second in the event. Since then, Vanguard students have been invited back every year, and Volz always takes the time to talk to and guide the young artists. Vanguard School is grateful for Volz's contribution to the local art community and for the many opportunities he has presented to students. Vanguard artists have seen their work featured on Chicago-area news channels and have experienced success in a public forum while discovering that art counts.Cathy Kempf, John Hersey High SchoolCathy Kempf is no stranger to Hersey High School. Three of her children, Rob, Ann, and Michael, graduated from Hersey in 2003, 2005, and 2007, respectively, and daughter Laura is currently a junior. Kempf encouraged her children to participate in school activities while modeling the behavior.As an Athletic Booster Club Board member, Kempf has hosted the annual dinner/dance, the biggest single-event fundraiser for this group. She has worked tirelessly to increase each year's attendance, while uniting coaches and the community for a common cause. She also volunteers at sporting events, including the Mid-Suburban League Cross Country Championships and home basketball games.Active with the Post Prom Committee, Kempf has chaired several committees and currently is in charge of publicity. She is always the first person to volunteer, whether it is to sell carnations, work the concession stand, sell suckers in the bleachers, or sign up students for the post prom event.Kempf exemplifies selfless and purposeful community spirit. She understands the partnerships needed to provide quality programs for students.Mary Nyborg, Prospect High SchoolFor the past three years, Mary Nyborg has served Prospect High School as an active and enthusiastic member of the Teacher-Parent Council. Nyborg's son Robert is a junior at Prospect and daughter Meredith is currently in 5th grade and destined for Knighthood. While caring for her children and husband Keith, Mary has devoted tremendous time and energy to the school.As co-president of the TPC, Nyborg's efforts on behalf of various initiatives have had a positive impact on PHS programs. Since joining the TPC, she has been instrumental in fundraising efforts to support students and staff. She has exhibited impressive leadership skills in facilitating the screening of mini-grant proposals and coordinating the allocation of funds to numerous clubs and activities.Nyborg also has helped to organize the Post Prom enterprise, which is an enormous undertaking that provides hundreds of students with a safe and memorable experience on one of the most important nights of the year. The TPC is stronger because of her hard work and intelligence, and her dedicated and generous leadership.Rose Kavanaugh, District 214 Administration CenterSince the early 1980s, Walgreens has been assisting District 214's students with disabilities in the development of their pre-employment skills, career exploration opportunities, job readiness training and preparation for competitive employment. For more than 20 years, Walgreens' internship program has enabled at least four District 214 students per semester to train with store employees and develop skills for entry-level positions.Store Manager Rose Kavanaugh has been the catalyst for expanding training opportunities for students at the Dryden store, as well as making connections for district staff to establish additional training sites at other Arlington Heights stores.Due to Kavanaugh's vision and cooperation, the internship program is a worthwhile experience for students, who stock shelves and coolers, unload shipments, and perform other tasks as needed. Walgreens' employees mentor and train District 214 students by giving them hands-on work experience in a supportive and nurturing environment. They have not only opened their doors to the students but also their hearts. Rose Kavanaugh reaches out to students in ways that are educational, compassionate, and inspirational and is worthy of the 2010 Distinguished Service Award.Catherine Lee, District 214 Community Education"Whatever they ask you to do, feel comfortable with that, and then come home and figure out how." This was the sage advice Catherine Lee received from her husband Timothy when she returned to the work force after raising their children. More than 20 years later, she continues to feel comfortable and has figured out how to do a lot.As the visionary who helped create Community Education's Women's Center, Lee identified the need to develop long-term stability through educational and employment programs tailored to meet the needs of the low-income female immigrant population residing in the northwest suburbs. She has served as a Women's Center Advisory Board member and helped secure private funding for its growth. She is the immediate past chair of the Community Education Foundation Board of Trustees and has been instrumental in supporting its mission. She also has served as the Community Education Foundation chair.Linda Blankshain, Buffalo Grove High SchoolLinda Blankshain is one of those parents who always steps forward whenever the need arises. She is an actively involved member of the Buffalo Grove Instrumental Association, which supports band students, and she coordinates Market Day for the entire school. Not only does she organize all the orders upon delivery, but she "mans" the pickup times, as well as makes sure that a calendar is developed for parental and student help. Market Day funds are used to support Buffalo Grove High School students and would not be as successful without Linda Blankshain.In addition to her first volunteer efforts with Market Day, Blankshain has assisted the band in many ways, including coordinating, designing, and distributing the band's spirit T-shirts and polo shirts. She and her family also will participate in the Music Department's Concert Tour to Europe in March where she will help with the supervision of students, activities, and events.Nancy Harkins Sue Liston, Elk Grove High SchoolFor the past four years, Nancy Harkins and Sue Liston have been at the helm of a very vibrant Post Prom Committee. This dynamic duo provides the leadership and effort necessary to raise more than $30,000 annually for this program. Additionally, they help educate parents and students about positive decision making. As Post Prom Committee co-presidents, Harkins and Liston also contact businesses and persuade them to support alcohol and drug-free activities for students. With the help of their volunteers, they spend countless hours facilitating fundraisers, and they spend months finalizing details related to the prom and post prom. Together, they work their magic to get the best deals from area banquet halls and cruise lines.In addition to post prom, the two women contribute to other student groups such as the Poms team and auto repair program. Due to their enthusiastic and positive support, their volunteerism is not only contagious, but it has set the stage for more parents to become involved.