Huntley family has an extra reason to celebrate

The Bien family of Huntley hasn't had many reasons to celebrate recently, but they had one last weekend.

Greg Bien, 58, was able to walk his daughter, Kristin, down the aisle Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Huntley.

Bien is undergoing treatment for lymphoma. Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago released him to his family last week so he could attend his daughter's wedding.

"He was very happy," his wife, Carolyn, said. "That was his dream, to have his daughter married in the Catholic Church."

Huntley Unit District 158 school board member Kim Skaja, a friend of the family, is collecting cards for Greg. You can send your wishes to Greg at P.O. Box 976; Huntley, IL 60142.

So far, the Biens have gotten 50 cards - in addition to financial help and hospital visits.

"The support that I've gotten has been overwhelming," Carolyn said.

Music from the heart: The Elgin Symphony Orchestra just gave a big boost to the musical aspirations of two Carpentersville orchestra students.

Karla Barrera, a violinist at Carpentersville Middle School, won the Jean Hove Young Musician Scholarship. Dearion Wright, a viola player at Lakewood School, won the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Young Musician Scholarship.

Both students will get free private lessons at a local community college for two years, a free subscription to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and a new instrument.

The scholarships are awarded annually to students in the Chicago metro area. Nominees must audition and interview with the selection committee to be considered for the prizes.

Arndt is on the Web: Community Unit District 300 Superintendent Ken Arndt addresses parents every month in the district's newsletter.

Now, Arndt will have a new forum. The schools chief has recorded his first audio Webcast and plans to record more messages in the fall.

Arndt's Webcast is available at www.d300.org/about-us/media-gallery/superintendents-webcast. The district plans to translate the messages into Spanish.

Bid on student art: If you're like me, and you're sick of cookie-cutter art shows with pieces you can't afford, you should head to the West Dundee village hall this month to bid on artwork from students at Hampshire High School.

The pieces, mostly black-and-white photographs and ceramic, will be on display through June 30. Proceeds from the bids will benefit the art program.

Graduations online: I rarely look forward to attending high school commencements.

The speeches are typically filled with an unrelenting barrage of clichés about change, maximizing your potential, entering the real world and a few lines - or the whole text - of "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

But I do enjoy when a speaker - usually a student - decides to get creative. Like a couple years ago, when a Streamwood High School student compared the choices graduates would face in life to ordering a burrito at Chipotle.

If you missed any of District 300's commencements over the weekend or want to relive the experience, the district has posted videos of the ceremonies on its Web site, www.d300.org.