District 207 names its 'Best' students of the month
• District 207 has chosen its "207s Best" for the month of September. The three students, one from each school, were honored for academic achievement at the Sept. 3 board meeting.
Maine West's honoree is Olivia Bitcon, a student who was recognized for her remarkable grades, ambitious class load and curiosity in the classroom.
Bitcon is part of Science Olympiad, Scholastic Bowl, COACH tutoring and the Explorers Program.
Greta Miller was the honoree from Maine South. In addition to having the highest GPA in the senior class, she has taken on a rigorous class load since freshman year and is a member of National Honor Society and Science National Honors Society.
Miller got a perfect score on the SAT math and will soon be applying to universities. She is looking to study in the STEM field, possibly engineering or computer science.
Krishi Rana from Maine East also received the recognition. Rana has consistently been a part of accelerated and AP classes, and his weighted GPA places him at the top of his senior class. Outside of the classroom, Rana has taken part in the Varsity Scholastic Bowl, math teams, the Gifted Lyceum Program and is president of National Honor Society.
Rana is interested in working in the medical field and plans to receive a bachelor's degree in a scientific field in the future.
• On Friday, Sept. 6, Dr. Brian Homann, DDS, hosted a free dental day for those in-need at Elk Grove Family Dental. Dr. Homann, along with Periodontist Dr. Jennifer Silc and Oral Surgeon Dr. Mark Spinazze and their staff, provided more than $28,000 worth of free dental care for 40 patients.
Dr. Homann created this free dental day in order to give back to the community. The day was designed to provide free dental care, including exams, digital X-rays, fillings, fluoride treatments, simple and deep cleanings and simple and surgical extractions for those who were unable to afford regular care.
The free dental day was a success thanks to all those who volunteered their time or made donations, including Joe Bush from Elk Grove High School, Prince of Peace Church and the Village of Elk Grove and the Elk Grove Police Department.
• Congratulations to Natalie Urban, a Schaumburg resident and Conant High School graduate, who recently achieved Girl Scouts' most prestigious award - the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Urban's award was achieved by completing a project for Spring Valley Nature Center. She created an activity book aimed at kids ages 5-8 to enjoy while exploring Spring Valley. The booklet encourages kids to use their senses to draw what they see, hear and smell around them. The booklet also includes word searches and crossword puzzles to help kids learn more about the plants native to the area.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA. Each year, the Gold Award is presented to girls who have planned and executed significant Take Action projects in response to pressing community needs. The Gold Award is awarded to fewer than 6% of Girl Scouts annually.
• Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1111 N. Elmhurst Road, Prospect Heights, welcomed the Rev. Dave Beese as its new pastor. Originally from Prairie View and then Mundelein, Beese graduated from Christ Seminary/Seminex, St. Louis, in 1976. He has previously served the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at congregations in Kansas, Missouri and Ohio.
The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1959, and has faithfully served the Prospect Heights community for the last 60 years. The family-friendly congregation invites the community to attend 9:30 a.m. Sunday service to meet its new pastor.
• Send your 'Neighbor in the News' items to Norrine Twohey at ntwohey@dailyherald.com.