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In the third set of a tennis match at University of Chicago two years ago, Kenyon College's Erika Oku started to cramp up, a familiar nemesis during grueling contests. "I told my coach I needed to retire," Hinsdale's Oku recounted. But her coach exhorted her to keep fighting. And her resilient spirit responded. "Something kicked in and I got back up and was able to finish the match and beat her in three sets," she said. "The fact that I was able to fight through the pain, I...
Another attempt to develop land bisected by flood plain in Hinsdale's Fullersburg community has again sunk under opposition from neighbors and village officials. At a special village board meeting May 26, trustees were united in their concerns that McNaughton Development's vision to build 24 single-family homes on 25.6 acres straddling Hinsdale and Oak Brook north of Ogden Avenue between Madison and Adams streets was too dense and out of character for the area. Trustee Laurel...
Name: Franny Schiavitti Year: graduated senior Hometown: Hinsdale How difficult was the cancellation of last year's soccer season? It was pretty tough without anything, but I was lucky I still had my club season. It definitely felt like I missed out. Has it given this season greater significance? It made it a lot more special and I kind of allowed us to appreciate the season more and work even harder. We got close pretty quickly as a team, and I would say our team has a...
A statement art piece is more than just another furnishing, said artist Michael Zavison. It becomes a cherished family possession for generations. The opportunity to meet those for whom his work has such lasting impact is a major reason the Florida-based industrial artist is taking part in the Hinsdale Fine Arts Show. "For me, my part in this experience is not complete until someone buys (a piece) and it becomes theirs," Zavison said. "When you're out there talking to the...
Bison aren't roaming through Hinsdale these days, but a vestige of the landscape they once inhabited survives on the western edge of the village: the Hinsdale Prairie. "That's not just a prairie, that's a remnant prairie," said resident Kathleen Thomas. "Here it is. A suite of plants that have been together for thousands of years." Saturday is National Prairie Day, celebrating the beauty and environmental value of the ecosystem once so vast it gave Illinois its "Prairie...
Hinsdale's Olivia Giunta figured her dreams of qualifying for USA Gymnastics Level 10 Women's Development Program National Championships had slipped away as her hands slipped from the uneven bars at the regional meet in Cincinnati last month. "That was the point where I got really stressed out," she said. "I thought that was going to be the end." But it wasn't. Giunta was still in contention, with only her balance beam routine remaining. "If I fell or had a major wobble on...
How did your Naval career intersect with Hinsdale Rotary? A year ago in March, Sophie Lekas needed money. $32,000 to be precise. She was finishing her fourth and final year as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and was eager to pursue graduate studies, if the Navy would support it. The master's program in engineering at Oxford University accepted her, but she would need to raise half of the two-year program's $64,000 tuition herself. "I thought it would be a...
Patrice Payne wants Hinsdale High School District 86 to be a "lighthouse" when it comes to creating a inclusive educational community. "How we approach diversity will be so consequential of how we succeed as a district," Payne said. On May 13, board members approved Payne's appointment as the district's first director of instructional equity. "I know that this is a wonderful environment for me to join forces with so I can equip our scholars to be able to collaborate, create...
For many, the word "philanthropist" refers to a wealthy individual using his or her substantial resources to meet large-scale needs. But financial benevolence does not depend on one's tax bracket status, a lesson learned by teen members of the YC2 leadership development program - including rising Hinsdale Central senior Amar Gupta. "Whenever you hear about philanthropy, it's always about some billionaire with a lot of money," Gupta said. "This time they were giving (the...
Name: Isa Hitchens Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale What's it's like competing in your final track season? It's pretty crazy to think about. It seems like yesterday was my first track practice. What events do you compete in? I run the 400, 200 and 100 meters. This season I'm really focused on the 4x400-meter relay and the 400-meter solo, because I think that's what I have the most potential in and I have the most fun in. What's your goal for the season? To win a state title in...
The Community House is holding its 14th annual Walk the Walk for Mental Health on Sunday to raise awareness and financial support for mental health services to individuals and families in DuPage County who do not have equitable access. Dan Janowick, executive director of The Community House, said the agency's Counseling Center wants to continue chipping away at the stigma surrounding mental health. "The goal of what we're trying to do is start a community conversation around...
Sarah Barclay and her family moved into the circa turn-of-the-century home at 433 E. Third St. in September of 2019. By this September, they hope their extensive renovation work will have become a memory and to be writing a new chapter in a house that has stood the test of time. "This was a long process," Barclay said while standing on the handsome wraparound front porch that provides an elevated street view. "When you're upstairs, you feel like you're in a tree house," she...
George Bull fell in love with the great outdoors as a 12-year-old summer camper, backpacking the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. So much so that the Hinsdale native and recent University of Vermont graduate has returned to that same western wonderland for his second summer as a backpacking trip leader at the Teton Valley Ranch Camp, guiding kids ages 12-15 into the wild. "My hope is that one of the campers I'm leading will find a passion for the outdoors like I did," Bull said from...
What are your thoughts as graduation nears? Hinsdale Central student Gianna Dugan will soon shed that identifier. The senior is graduating on Monday. And as student body president, she'll also serve as host for the proceedings. "I'll be leading the whole ceremony. I'll introduce the different speakers, (principal) Mr. Walsh," she said. "I'll also introduce all the students going to military service academies." Looking back on a most unusual finale for the class of 2021, Dugan...
Shooting 1 over par on the front nine was not exactly the way University of Iowa sophomore golfer Mac McClear fantasized his final round unfolding at the Big Ten Championships May 2. The Hinsdale product reluctantly checked the leaderboard at the turn of Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. To McClear's relief he was still on top, albeit by just a stroke. "I knew if I played a solid back nine I could win it," McClear said. "I told myself, 'Stay in your own mind and focus...
Food insecurity may not be a direct concern for most Hinsdale residents. For HCS Family Services junior board members Abby Clark, Piper Frankiewicz and Camryn Saltzman, addressing the need helps nourish the broader society. "It benefits the community as a whole and makes the community stronger," said Clark, a senior at Hinsdale Central who joined the junior board as a sophomore. "It's just great to see yourself have such a big effect on the community and the people you...
Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 Board members Monday approved a tentative budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year totaling $82.8 million. The forecast spending, which represents a 2.15 percent increase over the estimated 2021 expenses, includes $53.7 million for salaries and benefits, $7.7 million for capital projects and $5.8 million for operations and maintenance. Revenue is expected to come in at $76.7 million, less than a percentage point less than is expected to be collected for the current year. Rick Engstrom,...
A painted lady can sure turn heads. The Queen Anne-style residence at 318 S. Garfield St. has been getting second looks since 1888, when it was built for early Hinsdaleans Robert and Mary Childs, their five sons, Mary's mother and brother, and Robert's sister. Presumably its six bedrooms were sufficient to accommodate the entire brood. More than 130 years later, it is home to the six-member Prame family. "It's a big house," remarked Amy Prame of the three-story,...
Name: Jack Salerno Year: senior Hometown: Hinsdale When did you start playing lacrosse? I started in third grade with the Western Springs lacrosse program. My older brother played it, and I always loved the physicality of it without having to tackle anybody. What was it like having last season canceled? It was tough because we knew that we had a great team and a great senior class, and they weren't able to have a final season. What do you love about the sport? I've grown to...
With more than 100 years of commanding classrooms combined, retiring Hinsdale Central High School teachers Julie Baker, Chris Billie, Steve Gross and Pat Richards are well-known and well-loved members of the Red Devil community. In observance of Teacher Appreciation Week, the four offer their reflections on spending a career devoted to students. Julie Baker Julie Baker became a chemistry teacher at Central 21 years ago as a second career after working as a research assistant....
For Allison Peters, motherhood has been an evolution, with each stage having its joys and struggles. "I don't know that it gets better. It gets different," remarked the mom of four, ages 11 to 5. "When they're newborns and they're just a ball sleeping on your chest, I love that. Then being able to laugh with your 11-year-old to Monty Python is pretty great, too." Eventually they'll be fully baked, so to speak, as Peters invoked a bread analogy. "You're putting all these...
By Ken Knutson [email protected] Hinsdale trustees Tuesday discussed a proposed intergovernmental agreement between the villages of Hinsdale and Western Springs and the Illinois Tollway Authority concerning a new pedestrian bridge over the Tri-State Tollway. Last July, trustees expressed their desire that the bridge, which will be constructed along the north side of Chicago Avenue connecting Veeck Park in Hinsdale and Spring Rock Park in Western Springs, be designed with vertical pickets and be painted black. Their W...
History is not just the domain of those with extensive histories of their own. Young people are making their mark in helping preserve local heritage through the Hinsdale Historical Society Junior Board. Sarah Jane Nicholson, a junior at Hinsdale Central, helped launch the junior board last year, motivated by her interest in exploring the past and working to safeguard its treasures for posterity. The pandemic hit as she was trying to shape the board's mission and recruit peers...
What are some gardening tips for the season? Amidst the social barrenness wrought by the pandemic, a bumper crop of new at-home gardeners has sprung forth. "They're thinking, 'I'm not sure if I can get good vegetables this summer - let's grow our own!' " related Dan Kosta, horticulturist at Hinsdale's Vern Goers Greenhouse. Backyard produce is hard to beat, he said, and a blooming flower bed outside the window is a visual feast. But knowing what to plant and how to care for it...
The Hinsdale Central baseball, softball and boys tennis teams are thrilled to playing again in 2021 after a lost 2020 season due to COVID-19. The programs' coaches offer their thoughts on their squads and the prospects for their "summer" campaigns. Baseball First game: April 17 @ OP-RF (V lost 14-8) Last year: season canceled due to COVID-19 Head coach: Jason Ziemer Seasons as head coach: eight No. team members: 23 Strengths: Beyond the fact that it's nice to be back on the...
