Mount Prospect school wins blue ribbon award

Fairview School in Mount Prospect recently received a 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School award, which is given to schools that demonstrate superior academic achievement.

This month, 320 schools were named. For more than 25 years, the program has honored almost 6,000 schools. It's given to public and private schools that are judged to be academically superior or that have shown dramatic gains in student achievement.

"We are extremely honored to be placed in this company and look forward to continued success for all of your students," said Superintendent Bruce Brown. "This honor is really an award for the entire community, our students, our staff and our parents who all partner together to support out students and promote their success."

Playground meeting: Prospect Heights Park District has plans to replace the playground at Country Gardens Park, 901 N. Schoenbeck Road next spring. Informational and community input meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at the Gary Morava Recreation Center, 110 W. Camp McDonald Road. For more information, call the district at (847) 394-2848.

Learn about your world: You can register now for Passport to the World at Oakton Community College. It's a series of foreign lectures offered by the Emeritus Program at the college. You can join local experts for an analysis of international events and issues that will be facing the next president.

The four-week session meets from 1 to 2:15 p.m., starting Oct. 7 at Covenant Village, 2625 Techny Road in Northbrook. Seating is limited. The series begins with the U.S. and Iran, examining the relations between those two countries. Other lectures include "Update on the Middle East" on Oct. 14, "Me and Julio: Latino Immigration and the Transformation of the United States" on Oct. 21 and "Contemporary U.S. Counterinsurgency: A Progress Report" on Oct. 28.

The series-only fee is $29 for in-district residents age 60 and over and $44 for out-of-district residents and those under age 60. Half-price tuition does not apply.

Oakton's Emeritus Program offers credit and noncredit courses, lectures, seminars and tours while providing a change to share a learning experiences with peers age 50 and over.

For more information about the program, including costs of featured lectures, call (847) 635-1414 or (847) 982-9888, press 3. For complete list of classes, course fees, seminars and events, visit www.oakton.edu/emeritus.

• Heard anything new? Call Sue Ter Maat at (847) 427-4602 or e-mail stermaat@dailyherald.com.