Good News Sunday: Long brain injury recovery leads Barrington High alum to 'Baking Show' tent

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald. Today's column focuses on the accomplishments of some current and former suburban high school students:

During her long recovery from a traumatic brain injury, one of the exercises that helped Nirali Chauhan was pretending to bake.

"Literally, we made a little kitchen for me in the rehab facility and would practice," Chauhan, 29, said of her recovery team at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. "There was a time when I couldn't pivot in the kitchen, bend over to use an oven, let alone bake for hours."

Viewers across the country can see Chauhan's baking skills in action as a contestant on the new season of "The Great American Baking Show," which was set to premiere Friday on the Roku Channel.

During her time on the show, her recovery was never far from her mind.

"I'd be doing something and I'd remember practicing it in rehab, and it made me so grateful to everyone who'd helped me," said Chauhan, who graduated from Barrington High School in 2012.

That Chauhan -- who is studying at the University of Illinois College of Medicine -- would be chosen for the show wasn't a surprise for Lisa Nardiello, her Spanish teacher at Barrington High.

"It just sort of made me laugh to see that she's still doing it all, in medical school, on a baking competition," she said. "I'm just so proud of her."

For the full story, click here.

  Jon Thompson, right, a freshman at Bartlett High School who is deaf/hard of hearing, has a small part in the school's production of "The Sound of Music." - Rick West | Staff Photographer

Deaf Elgin teen's small role makes big impact in Bartlett High musical

Jon Thompson can't sing. He also can't hear without his cochlear implant.

But that didn't stop him from performing in Bartlett High School's production of "The Sound of Music." As the only deaf cast member in the musical, the freshman, who also has limited vision, hopes his small role makes a big impact.

"The fact that I'm in it means that you can do anything," said Thompson, who appeared in a few scenes.

"I hope everyone could take a can-do attitude (from the show)," he said.

Thompson, 14, of Elgin, was born with an aggressive form of Usher's Syndrome, a rare disorder that affects sight and hearing. He is profoundly deaf, has limited peripheral vision and uses a cane to navigate the hallways and classrooms at school.

Students from Elgin Area Unit District 46's deaf and hard-of-hearing program, or DHH, were in the audience to see Thompson on stage during a school performance. It is the first time in at least a decade that a deaf student has been part of a high school musical, teachers said. Two ASL interpreters sign for students at the play.

"It's very important that our students are exposed to all of this because it's important for them to see role models," said teacher Veronica Hutchins.

For the full story, click here.

Aditya Gupta, 17, of Rolling Meadows, a junior at William Fremd High School in Palatine, is among only five high school students in the nation to receive the 2023 Scholar-Chessplayer Award from the U.S. Chess Federation. - Courtesy of Kuldeep Gupta

Fremd student earns prestigious national prize for chess

At 17, Aditya Gupta of Rolling Meadows has earned a distinction few teens have achieved.

The 11th-grader at Fremd High School in Palatine is among only five high school students in the nation to receive the 2023 Scholar-Chessplayer Award from the U.S. Chess Federation -- awarded only twice to an Illinois student.

The award recognizes outstanding high school juniors and seniors who promote a positive image of chess while excelling in academics and leadership. Each awardee will receive $1,500 in scholarship money.

Aditya is captain of Fremd's varsity chess team, which finished in fourth place at the Illinois High School Association's 2023 state contest in February. He is the 2021 Illinois Junior Chess Champion and a Chess National Master with a rating above 2,200 points, as determined by the U.S. Chess Federation.

He also has founded two nonprofits -- ThePuzzlr and ChessPupils -- aimed at helping tutor students on competitive math and establishing chess clubs at suburban middle schools.

For the full story, click here.

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