Grand marshals selected for St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade

The Downtown St. Charles Partnership announced that Kristin DiTella and Brian Wright were selected as grand marshals for the 2014 Electric Christmas Parade, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, on Main Street in St. Charles.

Students were invited to vote for the teacher they felt was most worthy of the honor, based on criteria such as knowledge of subject matter, ability to get students to think critically, and if the teacher contributes to the school beyond the course of the school day. Kristin DiTella will be representing St. Charles North High School, while Brian Wright was selected from St. Charles East High School.

DiTella has been a social studies teacher at St. Charles North since 2001. She is also actively involved in the school's history-related extracurricular programs by co-advising the Model United Nations Club and the Social Studies National Honor Society. DiTella is married to Mike DiTella, a social studies teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, and is the mother of two children.

Brian Wright, raised in St. Charles, is in his third year of teaching at St. Charles East and has taught both biology and chemistry. During the school year, he is active coaching junior varsity girls' bowling and helping with the Science Olympiad. Wright spends his summers as a nature instructor for camps at Hickory Knolls Nature Center. He lives in South Elgin with his wife, Chelsea and dog, Sophie.

The Downtown St. Charles Partnership, which organizes the two-day Holiday Homecoming event and concludes with the Electric Christmas Parade, is very excited to honor DiTella and Wright in this way.

The organization honored John Wredling as grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Parade. Wredling turned 100 years old the day following that event. "It was wonderful to honor someone who had contributed so much to the education of the St. Charles youth for decades. In thinking about this event, we felt it would be fitting, in keeping with the theme of education, to honor individuals who currently work with our children. It's also a way to let all educators know how much we appreciate what they do for our youth and our community," said Lynne Schwartz, executive director of the downtown partnership.

Holiday Homecoming is a two-day event, featuring Lighting of the Lights on Nov. 28, and Sleigh Rides on First Street, Visits with Santa, a Holiday Movie, and the grand finale - the Electric Christmas Parade taking place on Nov. 29.

For more information, visit www.DowntownStCharles.org, call the Downtown St. Charles Partnership office at (630) 443-3967, or email info@downtownstcharles.org.