Another Kennedy looks to make his mark in Washington

Neuqua Valley boys track coach Mike Kennedy and his wife, Meghan, have made a more concerted effort, a pact if you will, to pursue a choice opportunity when it comes along.

"I just put myself out there," Mike said. "And if it works, great. And if not, oh well."

This one worked huge.

The Neuqua Valley science teacher had applied with the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, based in Arlington, Va. He was hoping to land a 2010 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship.

"We weren't too worried about it," Kennedy said, somehow ignoring the fact that just this academic year the College Board and the Siemens Corporation named him among the country's top 50 Advanced Placement math or science teachers. He should have realized his number could get called.

It did. In late March Kennedy picked up the phone to hear the Coalition had selected him as one of 20 Albert Einstein Fellows nationwide. Not just a document he could frame, that means he will spend the equivalent of the 2010-11 school year in Washington, D.C., as a paid staffer. Meghan and children Ryan, 10, and Quinn, 7, will accompany him.

"My kids are really excited now because they get to go on an adventure, as they see it," said Mike, who incidentally is about halfway toward his goal of taking his boys to every state by the time they leave high school.

In Washington Kennedy will report to Bill Valdez, director of the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists within the United States Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Fellowship assignment is sharpening scientific development in national laboratories.

"It's really more connecting the things that we do in science and the things we do in education," Kennedy said.

"It's got everything in the right place. It's got people that are in power, it's got the facilities, and it's got the people in education who can bridge the gaps."

In January the 35-year-old Kennedy applied for the Fellowship. He survived the narrowing of applications to a top 50 then in February was ordered to fly to D.C. for interviews with the next round of 39. There was no turning back.

"I pretty much just froze for a second when I read the e-mail," he said. "It was good, but it was one of those things that was like, OK, now it's time to do this."

In mid-March Kennedy went to Washington, mingling first at a couple of required social mixers (no faux pas allowed). Relaxed, confident and with nothing to lose, he killed in separate interviews with NASA, two agencies of the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

"The way I took it was, this is just gravy, so just enjoy the ride," he said.

The Kennedys will leave in August to get settled in a proper apartment before Mike starts work in September. Their Plainfield home will be on the market with only a little more urgency since they were considering moving to Naperville so Quinn and Ryan can attend school in the same district dad teaches in.

Also, Neuqua Valley's boys track program - second in 3A in 2009 and a favorite for a state title this year - will be in someone else's hands. Varsity assistant Jamie Janota's a likely candidate.

Obviously, the Kennedys' stance to accept opportunity has become life-changing.

"It was kind of like our bluff got called," Mike said, and he's grateful.

KudosThe Illinois Athletic Directors' Association has named its 2010 award recipients.Immaculate Conception's Darren Howard and Downers Grove South's Todd Cassens each earned athletic director of the year honors within their divisions. Mark Kolkman, in his second year as an assistant principal at Neuqua Valley after serving as Glenbard East's athletic director, is the 2010 Distinguished Service Award winner.Metea Valley athletic director Tom Schweer, who led Hinsdale Central's boys to state swimming titles from 1987-89 and also did great work at St. Charles North and Waubonsie Valley, is the 2010 winner of the Illinois Swimming Association's John Newman Award. That also gets the nine-time coach of the year into the ISA Hall of Fame.Swimming across the PondNaperville Central's Daniel Tucker, Neuqua Valley's Kevin Cordes, Hinsdale Central's Danny Thomson and Haley Sims of Downers Grove North - the first three state champions in February, Sims a second-place sprinter in two events last fall - have been selected to compete at the Irish Long Course Nationals, April 29-May 2 in Dublin.They're part of a 52-person all-star team, split between boys and girls, who were chosen based on their results at the National Club Swimming Association Junior National Championships in Orlando at the end of March."This is a great opportunity for them to go and compete internationally. In years past the all-star team went to Hawaii to compete," said Pete Kozura, executive director of Illinois Swimming. "It's a nice little reward for them at the end of the season."The Long Course Nationals, held in a sprawling complex called the National Aquatic Centre, does give the high schoolers room to spread out. The length is 50 meters rather than 25 yards."It gives them a chance to compete at the international distance and certainly against different competition," Kozura said.Success comes in threesNorth Central College athletics continue their roll. On March 22 men's basketball player Derek Raridon - All-Area at Neuqua Valley, he plays for his father, Todd, with the Cardinals - was named D3hoops.com's national rookie of the year.Derek Raridon was the country's second-highest scoring freshman at 21.3 points per game. His 532 points were the most ever scored by a North Central freshman.In an April 10 men's track meet at the University of Chicago, Cardinals senior pole vaulter Jake Winder cleared 18 feet, 1/2-inch to set a new school record. Winder's effort surpassed the national automatic qualifying standard by 17 inches and was nearly a foot higher then Waubonsie Valley graduate Mike Bina's former Cardinals record of 17-2. Still more impressively, Winder vaulted from No. 7 to No. 2 in Division III outdoor history, behind only Jeremy Scott's 18-21/2 set in 2002.And on April 17 softball coach Jim Kulawiak won his 600th career ballgame at North Central's 20th annual NCC Invitational title, beating Monmouth 5-3.Kulawiak is 600-249-3 in 22 seasons with the Cardinals. He's one of 10 active coaches in Division III softball to notch 600 career wins.