At the most recent College Board meeting, a pair of College of DuPage students made an appeal for civility to be restored to the Glen Ellyn campus.

“Remember that we are in an institution that deserves respect,” Stephanie Torres, last year’s student trustee, told the board at the end of a marathon board meeting that didn’t lasted until 12:35 a.m.

Although she didn’t go into great detail, Torres was referring to the bitterness around the debate over a new Teaching and Learning facility and a rift between Vice Chairwoman Katherine Hamilton and the rest of the board.

Part of the controversy centers on an email COD President Robert Breuder sent to trustees asking them to make Gov. Pat Quinn feel welcome at the school’s May commencement so that the state might be more forthcoming with $20 million for the new teaching facility.

When the email became public, an uproar ensued that saw Hamilton vote against going forward with the new facility, leading to a series of exchanges between the two sides that ultimately resulted in the board voting to censure Hamilton at in August, while the full-time faculty association approved a vote of no-confidence in Breuder.

Chairperson Erin Birt felt compelled to call for recesses twice to restore order at the August meeting.

Miguel Marino echoed Torres’ call for restoring respect toward those on both sides of the issue.

“It is time for us to put a stop to mocking and disrespect here,” he said.

Marino said after the August meeting, he had confronted someone in an aggressive manner and wanted to apologize for losing his composure.

The board responded to the atmosphere at the August meeting by changing the schedule for public comment. Previously, public comment was near the beginning of the agenda at board meeting, and set aside time for COD employees and residents to speak on agenda items and offer general comment.

The new protocol called for public comment on non-agenda items at the end of the meeting, after any executive session.

It also stated, “Outbursts from the audience, applause, or other types of disturbances or disruptions will not be tolerated,” and indicated that a person would be given one warning before being ejected from the room.

The changes only angered Hamilton and her supporters, who filled the board room and another room across the hall set up for the overflow crowd.

Some members said the new policies were simply a matter of crowd control.

“It’s about having some type of order,” Trustee Joe Wozniak said. “That (August meeting) was a zoo to me.”

Hamilton shot back, “Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to censure me.”

Further aggravating the situation was the fact that an executive session ran for more than two hours, resulting in general public comment not beginning until almost midnight.

Some questioned the legitimacy of changing the public comment protocol.

Glenn Hansen, Teachers Association president, said “the new policy will not make (the situation) better” and reminded everyone about the no-confidence vote taken by the association.

“Our vote stands,” he said.

Contacted later, Vice President Joe Moore defended the change to the protocol regarding public comment, saying it was thoroughly researched by the college’s legal advisers.

Four elementary schools in La Grange have been named to the select group of National Blue Ribbon Schools in 2014.

Among the 12 elementary schools chosen in Illinois are Spring Avenue and Seventh Avenue schools in La Grange-Countryside Elementary District 105 and Ogden Avenue School in La Grange Elementary District 102.

St. Cletus School is one of seven parochial schools recognized in Illinois, where 22 schools were singled out for outstanding student academic achievement and a host of factors contributing to each school’s excellence.

Representatives from each school will be honored at a ceremony Nov. 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Department of Education. There were 337 schools honored this year  after a rigorous application process.

Brief celebrations were scattered throughout the week at several buildings, punctuated by an all-school dance to the “Happy Song” at a Spring Avenue School assembly Oct. 3.

Principal Elizabeth Webb acknowledged the role of nurturing adults helping students come to school ready to learn. She spoke to a packed gym with parents lining the walls.

“And then it’s you guys coming to school with that attitude,” Webb told her 326 students. “You may have had a crummy day yesterday, but what is today? It’s a new day, even if it’s raining.”

Fourth-grader Grant Kostrzewa said he was proud of his school’s accomplishment.

“The Blue Ribbon shows how our school is really learning and successful, and everyone tries their best in school and no one gives up. They work hard,” Grant said.

Similar sentiments were echoed at an assembly the day before at Seventh Avenue School, where students also danced after watching the video message from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Students received Smarties candy and a blue ribbon bracelet.

“For a school community, this is truly like winning the Super Bowl, and what makes this even more special is that two District 105 schools get to share this special honor,” said Seventh Avenue Principal Erin Hall.

Superintendent Glenn Schlichting noted District 105 was the only district in the state with two schools receiving the award.

“It reflects our overall success. We look at this as district-wide recognition in addition to the individual school awards,” he said.

District 102 Superintendent Warren Shillingburg said Ogden’s recognition is well deserved.
“Ogden has been a consistently high-performing school for years with a very supportive parent community, great staff and kids who are very good at learning,” Shillingburg said.

Principal Pattii Waldo said the school’s 615 students are planning to celebrate the entire first week of November just before she and a teacher attend the Washington, D.C. ceremony.

“We’re going to be making a quilt that says National Blue Ribbon Award with hand prints from each class, signifying each had a hand in our success,” she said.

Although she received feedback through the application process, Waldo said she wasn’t notified until last week that Ogden was selected. The award is based on a school’s math and English scores being in the top 15 percent, according to each state’s standardized tests.

“The ISATs were changed to reflect more of the Common Core standards, so it got harder this past year,” Waldo said. “A lot of schools going in were not able to maintain that high level of achievement.”

Nazareth Academy presents a week of homecoming activities from Oct. 6  to Oct. 11. With great buzz surrounding Nazareth’s 5-0 Football team, and a love of all things country and western, the Student Council  chose to combine the two with the theme Friday Night Lights: NAZ Forever.

The week full of school activities include:
Oct. 6: Country style Out-of-Uniform Day;
Oct. 7: During all lunch periods, Football Bozo Buckets are offered;
Oct. 8: During all lunch periods, Jersey Day and Ring Toss are offered;
Oct. 10: At 8 a.m. begins the Pep Rally; from 9 a.m. to noon is the annual Walk; From 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. is NAZFEST;
Oct. 11: beginning at 1:30 p.m., the varsity football game versus Joliet Catholic Academy with the homecoming dance in the evening from 8-11 p.m. in the Rooney Center.
The NAZFEST includes the Post “Walk” Party held in the north end of the student parking lot, along with the softball game for faculty/staff versus seniors. Special lunch items are being served. (In the event of rain, the music and food will be moved into the gym and dining hall.)
There will be a bags tournament and the music from John Gurney ‘06 and Tyler Filmore, singers/songwriters straight from Nashville who recently released The Lookout (thelookoutmusic.com).

Nazareth senior Ben Wojtynek has a good head on his shoulders. This ambitious and A-Honor Roll Naz senior attended the Redbird Risk Management Challenge camp at Illinois State University this summer. Attendees included 20 hand-selected high school students from across the country and taught all levels of business, but focused on risk-management. Ben and his three teammates ran their own business, which included experiencing the decision-making processes that make a business successful. Teams earned points through various activities in and out of the classroom. Ultimately, Ben’s team finished first, earning a diploma, a backpack, and a $500 scholarship to Illinois State University.

“This experience helped me understand how my personality will allow me to constructively interact with people, build consensus and drive the decision-making process necessary to run a business. Walking out of the camp, I had a better understanding of how business works and realized that business (finance) is the major I would like to pursue.”

Q. What are your post-high school plans?

I plan on attending college ad majoring in Finance.

Q. What do you like to do on the weekends?

On the weekends I like to watch football, relax, hang out with my friends and play sports.

Q. What is your favorite class or favorite subject? Favorite teacher?

My favorite subject is math. My favorite teacher is Mr. Hunt (science).

Q. What is your favorite social media site?

Twitter

Q. What is one thing someone wouldn’t expect to know about you?

I am very neat. I hate being disorganized.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Nazareth Academy?

The student body at Nazareth is very welcoming. It’s easy to make friends here.

Q. What is your favorite sports team?

Chicago Blackhawks

Q. What is your favorite TV show?

“Entourage”

Q. How are you involved at school?

I am a member of both Youth Initiative and Aviation Club. I belong to National Honor Society and National English Honor Society. I also play for the Naz Ice Hockey team

There was a buzz in the air as St. Cletus School students headed into the gym Sept. 30 for an important announcement.

Technical difficulties interfered with streaming the announcement of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, but his message got through just the same.

St. Cletus was named a 2014 Blue Ribbon School, one of only seven parochial schools in Illinois and 336 public and private schools across the nation recognized for high student achievement or significant academic gains.

“It was amazing to me how excited they were,” said School President Jolene Hillgoth. “It was nice having them all together in the gym. They were giving high fives to each other and cheering for the school.”

The announcement was like the frosting on the cake for a dedicated committee, which spent hours documenting and revising a 38-page application, the president said.

“It took a great amount of time and effort on all our parts as the information was gathered, and we went through it again and again,” Hillgoth said. “It’s something you don’t put in writing and don’t even realize all the things you do. It’s an eye-opener just to see all that you accomplish.”

Small class sizes and top-notch technology integrated into instruction helped set St. Cletus apart, Hillgoth said.

“Our class sizes average 22 to 23 students. We have smart boards in every classroom in grades three through eight and Spanish and music classes,” she said. “We have iPad and laptop carts teachers can check out, 30 computers in a lab, six work stations in the library and one or two computers in every classroom.”

As a Catholic school, St. Cletus incorporates religion into its program, Hillgoth noted.

“We have a really strong sense of family and community at St. Cletus, and that’s also one of those things that sets us apart,” she said. “We try to be warm, welcoming and inviting, along with giving a high quality education to our students.”

Lyons Township High School students are being encouraged to think green for the annual Recycled Art Contest hosted by Recycling Club.

The contest encourages students and staff to make art that promotes the three “Rs” — reduce, reuse and recycle. All forms of artwork are accepted (collage, sculpture, jewelry, drawing, etc.) and must be at least 70 percent reused material. Halloween inspired artwork is encouraged, but not required.

Voting will take place on Halloween in the north campus library. The first place winner will receive a $15 Chipotle gift card, and second and third place finishers will receive $5 Red Mango gift cards. The winning pieces will be on display at the north campus library throughout November and posted on the district website.

For some, it was as if they blinked and 50 years were gone.

Members of the Class of 1964 celebrated a milestone reunion Oct. 3-5 at Lyons Township High School with a host of activities and a chance to catch up.

A highlight for many was an appearance Oct. 4 by legendary WLS DJ Dick Biondi, to whom many of the alumni listened while growing up.

“He was the most popular DJ when we were in high school, and one person on our committee came up with the idea of asking him,” said reunion committee member Alice Zahalka Ewert of La Grange. “We were happy he said yes.”

When the Class of 1964 started as freshmen, Biondi switched to WLS in Chicago from a New York radio station. He wrote and recorded “On Top of a Pizza,” which he performed for the alumni during a pizza party at The Corral in Western Springs.

In February 1963, Biondi was the first American DJ to play the Beatles, putting their recording of “Please, Please Me,” on the air. A few months later as the nation’s top-rated DJ, he left WLS in a dispute and headed to Los Angeles.

After working at 25 radio stations across the country and nationally syndicated shows, Biondi was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998. At 82, he still performs a nightly Chicago show from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on WLS-FM 94.7.

“They loved it. They were all standing in line to take pictures with him, and he couldn’t have been more gracious,” Ewert said. “A lot of people got his autograph.”

Another highlight for Ewert was reconnecting with Koreyasu Kitamura, an exchange student who returned from Japan after pursuing a career in business and as a writer.

“We were thrilled to have him,” she said.

Between 160 and 170 attended one or more of the weekend events from the class of nearly 1,000 members, Ewert said. Alumni had the option of attending a mixer the first night, followed the next day by the pizza party, a dinner and a brunch on the last day.

Ewert said she enjoyed working on the reunion committee and conferencing by phone with members every few weeks to report on progress.

“It was a real learning experience, just great,” she said. “I made some new old friends, and there’s some people I’ll be connecting with. Some people even asked about having our 55th reunion.”

Two pieces of journalism written by Lyons Township High School Lion newspaper students are nominated for national “story of the year” awards in their respective categories by the National Scholastic Press Association. Lion students will attend the annual National Scholastic Press Association convention in Washington, D.C. when the winners are announced on Nov. 8.

Steven Campbell’s profile on basketball player Jim Cullen is up for Sports Story of the Year. Campbell is a graduate of 2014. Joe Okkema’s editorial on Common Core is nominated for Editorial of the Year. Okkema is  a senior and news editor of the Lion newspaper.

To read their nominated stories, visit the press association website, then under the Sports Story category, click on Steven Campbell’s name, and under the Editorial category, click on Joe Okkema’s name.

In the last 12 years, there has been only one other LT student to be nominated for this distinction. Tripp Stelnicki’s editorial on bullying was nominated — and won — the 2010 national Editorial of the Year award.

Prospective students and families are invited to get to know Nazareth Academy at one of its upcoming open houses. Visit between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., on Nov. 9 with presentations at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; between 6:30 and 8 p.m., Dec. 4 with a 7 p.m. presentation.

Families will meet Nazareth students, faculty and staff. Guided tours of the building are provided. Representatives from Nazareth athletic teams and student activities will be available to answer questions.

Questions about open house can be directed to Kristen Stojetz at 708-387-8505 or kstojetz@nazarethacademy.com.

Thirty-one Lyons Township High School seniors have been named commended students in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program.

About 34,000 students nationwide are being honored for their exceptional academic promise. Commended students placed among the top 5 percent of more than one million students who entered the Merit Program.

National Merit Commended Students are Sarah Aldrich, Vincent Caruso, Lucy Collins, Thomas Derrah, Paige Dore, Patrick Falvey, Whitley Grayson, Emma Greifenkamp, Brittany Grosser-Basile, Cori Hansen, Emma Haugen, David Hussey, Samuel Knowles, Thomas Korenchan, Caroline Kralovec-Kirchherr, Clare Mikulski, William Most, Lucas O’Bryan, Rory O’Donnell, Max Olson, Salina Ortega, Claire Quinlan, Jackson Ridge, Joseph Rossetti, Christopher Scotty, William Stampfl, Forrest Stewart, Elizabeth Trop, Madeline Turner, Steven Vogel and Elizabeth Wyckoff.

Nazareth Academy pulled out all the stops to fire up students at the homecoming pep rally Friday morning in La Grange Park.

In addition to stirring school spirit, the rally served as a kick-off for the high school’s 40th annual fundraising walk of 3.5 miles to support academics and extracurricular activities. Previous years’ totals have topped $180,000 to benefit the school.

With a country theme tied to the popular TV series, “Friday Night Lights,” Nazareth students and staff celebrated their own real-life football powerhouse with high hopes pinned to the team’s 6-0 record.

The varsity team was scheduled to take on Joliet Catholic Academy at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 11.

Aglow in the spotlight, economics teacher Anthony Gonzalez sported a neon pink blazer, Western tie and white cowboy hat as he shared emcee duties with guidance counselor Brendan Green.

The duo traded jokes and microphones with Student Council representatives in introducing various groups. Performances by the junior varsity and varsity pom squads, cheerleaders, color guard, drum line and band elicited thunderous cheers.

Performances were interspersed with a series of school videos, which have becom increasingly popular with students, said Therese Hawkins, director of student activities.

A definite crowd pleaser was the faculty’s take on the “Friday Night Lights” cast and celebrity look-alike interviews.

Capping the rally was the introduction of homecoming court members, who received a tiara or red cowboy hat. Crowned as homecoming queen and king were Tony Calles of Cicero and Elena Sofia Westchester.

Following the 3.5-mile walk through LaGrange Park, students looked forward to lunch, a bags tournament and faculty-senior softball game, as well as music by 2006 graduate John Gurney, who recently recorded in Nashville “The Lookout” with Tyler Filmore.

Westchester Elementary District 92½ will  conduct a free screening for children 3, 4 and 5 years old on Dec. 4 at Westchester Primary School, 2400 Downing Ave., Westchester.

Children will be screened by professionals in the areas of vision, hearing, speech, language, fine motor, gross motor and cognitive ability. The results of these assessments will provide an indication of the child’s level of development.

As part of the screening, children may be eligible for a state funded preschool program through the district.

Appointments are being taken through Nov. 21 by calling 708-450-2700, Ext. 2335.  All District 92½ parents of preschool aged children are encouraged to participate. The screening is only for children residing within District 92½.

Resource and referral information to Child and Family Connections for DuPage and Cook County will also be available for parents knowing of a child with special needs under age  3.  If you have a question or concern about your child’s development and your child is under 2 years 9 months, contact your school district or Child and Family Connections at 1-888-566-8228.

Grand Avenue Preschools will host open houses from 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 8 at its Western Springs and La Grange Highlands locations and from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 at their La Grange location. The open house will give parents the opportunity to meet teachers, see the classrooms and learn more about the curriculum.

Their program is aligned with the Illinois learning standards, developed by the Illinois State Board of Education and Grand Avenue is proud to be the only preschool in this area nationally accredited by the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation.

Grand Avenue offers academic programs for children ages 2 through kindergarten. Programs include Preschool for 2- through 5-year-olds – full or half day (morning and afternoon options), extended lunch care for 3- through 5-year-olds which includes a hot  lunch and kindergarten enrichment programs. The school also offers before/after school programs for children up to fifth grade and provides door-to-door bus service to Grand Avenue from many of the local area grade schools.

Grand Avenue Preschools are located in La Grange inside the Seventh Avenue School, Western Springs in the Grand Avenue Community Center and La Grange Highlands inside the District 106 Elementary School.  For more information, visit  www.GrandAvenuePreschool.com or contact Mary Rizzardini at Western Springs,  708-246-2270, Nancy Hayes in LaGrange Highlands at 708-579-1103 or Dan Rizzardini in La Grange at 708-482-2730 Ext. 1700.

Nazareth Academy will present “Little Shop of Horrors,” a comedy/horror rock musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It is the story of Seymour Krelbourn, a poor young man working at a run-down flower shop on Skid Row when he encounters a miracle, an alien plant, after a total eclipse of the sun.

After bringing the plant to the store, he gains fame, fortune and love. The only defect is that the plant feeds on blood. The evil continues, and the audience is warned: Don’t feed the plant!

Performances are at 7 p.m., Oct. 24 and 25 and at 1 p.m. on Oct. 26.

The cast includes the following students:

From Clarendon Hills: Jesse Bonaguro

From Darien: Angela Calabria

From Hinsdale: Zachary Cameron, Meghan Rooney.

From La Grange: Kyle Norbut

From LaGrange Park: Maggie Roache, Jack Weyer.

From Oak Brook: Camille Theriault

From Western Springs: Bridget Adams-King, Joe Smith, Meghan McGarry, Gabrielle Meyer.

From Willowbrook: Kevin Ryan.

From Westchester: Garrett Allar.

All seats are reserved and are $15. Reservations can be made by calling 708-354-8528. All performances take place in the Nazareth Auditorium, 1209 W. Ogden, LaGrange Park.

Gabby Perez, a senior, has her sights set high. Not only does this honors student plan to become a doctor, she also hopes to qualify for the Olympics. She’s been involved in karate, kung fu and taekwondo for nearly 11 years, competing at nationals three times and finishing in 3rd Place in point sparring this summer.

“I fell just short of my Olympic goal this summer, but it was the first time I ever competed as a black belt.”

Gabby has made sacrifices to pursue her athletic goals, including giving up basketball junior year because of the time commitment.

“I had to discipline myself all summer not to give in to eating ice cream while I was cutting weight and declined overnights with friends because of early practices,” she said.

Gabby missed Homecoming last year in order to compete at Diamond Nationals in Minnesota

“If there’s anything I’ve learned from endless hours of practice, it’s that success comes with sacrifice.”

Q. What are your post-high school plans?

I plan on majoring in biology in order to pursue a career in medicine as an obstetrician. I also plan on continuing my success in martial arts in hopes of a possible chance of competing in the Olympics for Taekwondo.

Q. What do you like to do on the weekends?

I spend weekends with friends and family. I particularly love going to Naz football games. I spend most of my Sundays doing homework because I procrastinated too long.

Q. What is your favorite class or favorite subject? Favorite teacher?

My favorite subject is biology. I love learning about genetics and it inspires me in achieving my goal to become a doctor. My favorite teacher is Mr. Gonzalez. In his contemporary world issues class, he never fails to make topics interesting, especially when it comes to controversial topics.

Q. What is your favorite social media?

I love Instagram because you’re always up to date with people’s lives. Some posts are irrelevant, but you’re able to search for things you might find interesting.

Q. What is one thing someone wouldn’t expect to know about you?

Until you get to know me well, you probably wouldn’t know about my involvement in martial arts, much less my success in the sport.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Nazareth Academy?

I love the acceptance at Naz. Coming from Joliet, I didn’t know a single student here, but since my first day, I’ve felt at home. I’ve embraced a whole new kind of school spirit and am proud to attend this school. Students are welcoming, and when big events come up, we always find a way to come together. I wouldn’t trade the friends I’ve made here for anything.

Q. What is your favorite sports team?

My favorite team is the Chicago Bulls. I’m a huge Derrick Rose fan and love going to the games. My family and I never miss a game and we all hope the Bulls go far this season.

Q. What is the one website you that you must visit every day?

I always check Twitter to see daily updates from my friends. With school being so demanding and the stress of college applications, it’s nice to check in and see what’s going on in the outside world.

Q. What is your favorite TV show?

“Friends” is my hands-down favorite. My friends and I think it’s hilarious.

Q. What else should we know about you?

I’m a pretty simple person. I have a dynamic family and am the oldest of 6 kids. Coming from a big family has definitely influenced my desire to become an obstetrician and help others have families as well.

Karate is a key aspect to my identity. It’s how I relieve stress and my competitive success is a source of pride for me.

The season has yet to start, but Blackhawks fever was in full bloom Thursday (Oct. 16) at St. Louise de Marillac School in LaGrange Park.

Students had waited five long months for a visit from forward Patrick Sharp, their prize in winning a contest for donating the most items to Goodwill last spring.

St. Louise had gathered 70,000 items to win the contest for the second time in three years, it was announced in May. But Sharp and his teammates were a little busy at the time, in the midst of a playoff run ultimately cut short by the Los Angeles Kings.

Thirty lucky students got the chance to ask Sharp a question during an all-school assembly in a sea of red shirts, where they learned a little more about their hero.

“They were all so excited,” said Principal AnnMarie Mahay.

Accustomed to celebrity perks, Sharp enjoyed new status during his visit as the subject of a fairy tale created by first- and second-graders. Now second- and third-graders, they were thrilled to read him their tale of a boy named Patrick who played hockey.

“Instead of winning the Stanley Cup, Patrick saves Princess Abby from an evil dragon. They get married, have two daughters, and the royal family lives happily ever after,” Mahay said. “He loved it and kept talking about going home and reading it to his girls.”

Just in time for Halloween, a blood thirsty, blues-singing plant, a nerd who turns to the dark side and a trio of wise-cracking urban crooners take center stage at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park.

The high school presents the quirky musical, “Little Shop of Horrors” Oct. 24-26. It features a slew of upbeat song and dance numbers taking the edge off a storyline laced with dark humor.

From a failing flower shop in a sleazy neighborhood, a man-eating alien plant mysteriously arrives, eventually takes over and chomps its way through the cast.“This should definitely put everyone in the mood for Halloween. It’s creepy,” said Darien junior Angela Calabria. As a flower shop customer, she comes under the plant’s spell, appears crazed and orders $100 worth of roses.

“All ages can appreciate the humor and premise of the show,” Calabria said. “It’s got catchy tunes. I wake up singing the show, and it’s with me all day long.”

Berwyn sophomore Katie Uphues has mastered just the right touch of an urban East Coast accent to portray Audrey, a pretty and kind, but dumb girl who settles for an abusive dentist boyfriend, convinced she can do no better.

“I like the fact that she is the love interest, but she’s not the typical princess-voiced, graceful ingenue,” Uphues said. “She’s quirky and a lot more fun to play than Cinderella.”

Sophomore Evan Sellas of Palos Heights relishes his role as Orin Scrivello, the sadistic dentist, who frequently takes hits of nitrous oxide and explodes in maniacal laughter.

“It’s definitely fun and a new experience. I’m not used to being the bad guy,” Sellas said. “I’m supposed to act like a jerk but be hilarious. Each of us contributes different characters, and when we’re put together, it’s just great.”

Audrey longs to escape Scrivello and run away to the suburbs with her co-worker, Seymour Krelborn, the quintessential nerd constantly ill at ease, yet able to deliver convincing solos about his secret love for Audrey. In fact, Seymour, played by LaGrange Highlands junior Kyle Norbut, names his strange new plant, Audrey II.

“If you think about a nerd and multiply it by 1,000 times, that’s Seymour,” Norbut said. “It’s a little hard to relate to the character, because I’m not naturally too socially awkward. To get into my character, I’ve got to change my voice and posture.”

LaGrange Park junior Jack Weyer won’t be seen on stage until he takes a bow, but the action hinges on his performance as Audrey II. Weyer said he’s eager to learn the mechanics of operating his costume by opening a pod to eat his fellow actors. The rented costume, complete with an interior slide, was scheduled to arrive Saturday (Oct. 18).

“I’ve got Febreze for the costume,” Weyer said, indicating he will be toasty inside.

Director Kim White, who is in her 25th year at Nazareth, said she selected the musical for a number of reasons.

“I’ve always liked it, and we haven’t done it before. It’s funny, it’s quirky,” White said. “I saw it again this summer in Sullivan, Ill., and that reconfirmed how much I liked it.”

White said she carefully cast the roles of the trio who provide a running musical commentary of the action and give the other characters a hard time as needed. Western Springs senior Bridget Adams-King, Oak Brook junior Camille Theriault and Hinsdael sophomore Meghan Rooney take full advantage of their big voices, yet blend and harmonize well.

For the last nine years, a group of College of DuPage students and community members have created a collection of paintings, donating the final pieces to rebuilding efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

“While the media doesn’t focus on it anymore, New Orleans and its surrounding areas continue to recover,” said COD Art Professor Jennifer Hereth. “Volunteer organizations there continue to build new homes for residents and there remains a need to furnish and decorate these homes.”

Inspired by an episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Karen Gehse and her fellow art students set out to capture the beauty of the vibrant city and inspire those displaced by the storm and IArtists was born. While it’s been years since their initial efforts to help those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, representatives from the non-profit group will head to New Orleans later this month to continue their commitment and celebrate the number of families they’ve impacted so far.

“This is still my baby and I hope the project will be going for a long, long time,” Gehse said. “Even though the hurricanes were nine years ago, the city still struggles and the rebuilding efforts progress slowly.”

The nonprofit group continues to create works of art for New Orleans families and is working with the St. Bernard’s Parish Project to provide each newly-rebuilt home with a piece of art.

Fifty paintings by COD students will be on display Friday, Nov. 14, at Gravier St. Social Club and Gallery in New Orleans before they are distributed. The goal, Hereth said, is to raise awareness of the project and the need for continued aid for 9th Ward residents displaced by the storm.

“These families lost so much and this is our way of helping them rebuild and make their houses truly feel like home,” Hereth said.

For more information visit http://iartistsinfluence.org/#home

Montini Catholic High School in Lombard held its first of two open houses Oct. 22. The second will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at the school, 19W070 16th St.

Parents and students interested in learning about a Catholic education at Montini Catholic visited informational tables regarding academic, spiritual and sports clubs offered at the school. They were also given the opportunity to visit presentations on computers, social studies and business, science, fine arts, campus ministry, athletics and student activities.

“Montini Catholic awards academic scholarships to incoming freshmen taking our placement exam,” said Admissions Coordinator Kim Richmond. “Our scholarships are based on a student’s national ranking of the placement exam and are renewable for four years.”

Richmond and admissions representative Eric Brechtel, have been very busy visiting area schools and informing potential Montini Catholic students about the benefit of a Catholic education at Montini.

“New this year is our digital learning initiative — iPads for all,” said Brechtel. “Our school is the first high school in the Diocese of Joliet to implement a school wide 1-to-1 iPad Program. Parents are encouraged to visit our next open house and meet our technology team to learn about how the iPads are transforming the classrooms.”

“It was a great Open House,” said President Jim Segredo. “Every fall we look forward to meeting families, showing them our campus and answering questions about our exceptional school!”

Montini Catholic High School is a family-centered, co-educational, college preparatory high school, rooted in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ as emulated by St. John Baptist DeLaSalle. Programs are designed to challenge and encourage the spiritual, intellectual, personal, cultural, social and physical development of each student.

Scholarship opportunities can be explored by visiting www.montini.org (Click ‘Admissions’ in the navigation bar and scroll to scholarships.