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When sisters Ariel and Vania Leung head to the pool, it's rarely for a leisurely soak. As members of the Underwater Hockey Club of Chicago, a trip to the pool means they are prepared for a workout. "It's a very niche sport," said Ariel, a native of Hinsdale who recently settled in La Grange. She learned of the sport from her sister and brother-in-law, Hinsdale resident Brian Lin. Lin is a former member of the University of Illinois club and a current member of the Chicago...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] Just a few short years ago, Alexandra Knoch of Hinsdale was a camper at The Community House's summer volunteer camp. Now a junior at Hinsdale Central High School, Knoch returned this summer as a camp counselor. Volunteer camp is a chance for kids entering sixth through ninth grades to learn about volunteering and the organizations in their community that rely on the help of volunteers. "It's different as a high schooler looking...
Julie Jordan Laux said her younger sister, Jodi Allen, was good at just about everything she did. Even after her death from pancreatic cancer, Laux said her sister is still making her mark. "She's still winning," Laux said. While battling cancer, Jodi wrote a prayer for the board of directors of Xavier University, Cincinnati, on which she served. While in hospice care, a music therapist turned those words into a song, which was submitted to a contest and won. The message of th...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] Isabella Terry's last summer before college is anything but lazy. As a nanny to three active children, her days are full of activities and responsibilities. But they're also filled with a whole lot of fun, Terry said. The recent Hinsdale Central graduate cares for Amy Ponto's three children, ages 9, 6 and 5. Terry has babysat since she was 14, but is spending her first summer as a nanny, sharing responsibilities with her friend,...
The Hinsdale Central High School 4x800 relay team finished the 2022 Illinois High School Track and Field finals with a second-place finish and the desire to keep on running. On the way home from that meet at Eastern Illinois University, coach Noah Lawrence suggested the foursome make a trip to Eugene, Ore., for the Nike Outdoor Nationals, the unofficial national high school championships held at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. Just a couple of weeks later,...
People across the United States look forward to July 4 as a day to spend with family and friends, to relax and to celebrate. But for Maggie South of the Hinsdale Parks and Recreation Department, it's showtime. Preparations for Hinsdale's annual Fourth of July parade begin in February, South said, and culminate with one of the biggest events of the year for the village where she has worked since November 2018. "We're there to see that everything goes as smoothly as possible,"...
Long before he ever donned a Red Devils basketball uniform, Evan Phillips learned the basics of the game from members of the Hinsdale Central basketball team. "I remember it being super special and cool to be coached by the varsity players," said Phillips, who was in elementary school when he attended his first Hinsdale Central summer basketball camp. Now an incoming senior and a member of the varsity team himself, it's Phillips who is sharing his knowledge and skills with...
Caroline Hurley and Samantha Rotta have shared a lot since meeting at a BAMtheatre rehearsal several years ago. They enjoy play dates, they dance together at Salt Creek Ballet, and now they share a role in this summer's production of "Les Miserables." Caroline, 11, of Hinsdale, and Samantha, 10, of Downers Grove, share the role of young Eponine, the pampered daughter of innkeepers Monsieur and Madame Thénardier. "It's a really fun part," said Caroline, whose character wears fa...
As an expert in artifact conservation, Anna Weiss-Pfau of Hinsdale is entrusted with some of the world's oldest, rarest and most valuable objects. "My husband thinks it's funny the museums don't want you to touch the art, but they call me and want me to come take a scalpel to it," said Weiss-Pfau, owner and principal conservator of Elmhurst-based Third Coast Conservation, formerly Liparini Restoration Studio in Evanston. Weiss-Pfau holds a master's degree in artifact...
When settling in for a little summer reading, most would turn to a breezy novel or timeless classic. Hinsdale Central's Ajay Gupta prefers something a bit more informative. "I read The Economist every day," said Gupta, a member of the Hinsdale Central speech team and fourth-place winner in international extemporaneous speaking at this year's National Speech and Debate Tournament in Louisville. As a competitor in both extemporaneous and impromptu speaking, it's important for...
How does the pet walk benefit the humane society? A decades-old Hinsdale tradition continues Saturday, June 25, as the Hinsdale Humane Society presents its annual Pet Walk Festival. Deborah Kraus, development director, said the event will give animal allies of all ages the chance to support the shelter while learning about the many services offered to humans, canines and felines. The Pet Walk Festival will be held at the Humane Society, 21 Salt Creek Lane, Hinsdale (see Page...
The Jolly Boys have shared their harmonies and love of music with the community for three quarters of a century. They will celebrate this milestone with a fundraising concert Tuesday, June 21, that will showcase 75 years of songs while supporting The Community House of Hinsdale. Dick Pinto, who has sung with the all-male chorus since 1984, said the Jolly Boys is one of the oldest choral groups in the Chicago area. Just like every Jolly Boys rehearsal, the concert will begin...
Finding something new and exciting to do this summer doesn't have to involve a lot of searching, planning, travel or even money. From long-extinct animals to larger-than-life art sculptures, it all can be found just miles from home. Outdoor art installation Cantigny Park and the Mexican Cultural Center of DuPage have teamed up to create a 48-piece art exhibit that pairs the talents of six artists from Mexico City with the beauty of Cantigny. Matt LaFond, Cantigny's executive...
After spending months with a classroom full of 3-year-olds, summer is a particularly quiet time for Kathy Behrens, teaching assistant at Hinsdale Covenant Preschool. Behrens was a preschooler herself when her family first moved to the village. And while her life has included stints in Texas, Minnesota and London, Hinsdale has always been home, Behrens said. It's where she and husband Chris, a Darien native, raised their three children, and where Behrens found her unexpected...
How did you start making jewelry? Amy Smetana admits she didn't know much about jewelry when a neighbor asked her to repair a broken bracelet years ago. But rather than say no, Smetana, a lifelong learner, set out to teach herself how to fix her friend's treasured piece of jewelry. Little did Smetana know that years later, jewelry would become her full-time job and artistic passion. Working from her studio in her Downers Grove home, Smetana not only repairs jewelry but...
As a real estate broker, Tracy Anderson's job isn't only to help clients buy and sell their houses. She's also an emotional navigator, creating a clear and steady path for buyers and sellers alike. "My job is to take out some of the highs and lows," Anderson said of the emotional journey that often comes with buying or selling a home. A real estate agent since 2006, Anderson became a founding broker at Compass Real Estate in Hinsdale in 2018. Anderson was an attorney before...
It takes a number of skills and talents to conduct an orchestra. The most important quality, according to Hinsdale Central High School junior Alex Olguin, is focus. There's no place for distraction when leading dozens of musicians in a performance. "The conductor is the anchor of the orchestra," said Olguin, who began directing the Hinsdale Central orchestra ensembles as a sophomore, under the tutelage of orchestra director Serge Penksik. A cello player, Olguin said he now...
What is teaching first grade like? First grade is a time of immense learning and growth for most children - a fact that has been both the greatest joy and the biggest challenge of the job Susan Meyer has enjoyed for nearly 30 years. When children enter Meyers' first-grade classroom at Oak School for the first time, they're basically kindergartners, Meyer said. But when they leave the following June, they are readers ready to tackle second grade. Readjusting to a fresh group...
May flowers aren't the only things adding a splash of color to the Hinsdale landscape in the coming weeks. The Community House's annual Walk the Walk event will become a color walk when it returns for its 15th year on Sunday, May 15. "Walkers will be showered with different colors of powder," said Karin Rohn, a member of The Community House board and the Walk the Walk committee. Four color stations will be located along the 1-mile route, offering participants ample...
What inspired you to launch Vitaminis? Much was lost during the pandemic that began in March 2020, including Leslie Danford's job in the hospitality field. Laid off early in the pandemic, Danford quickly went from working full time to staying home full time with her three children. Soon after that, she went from stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur. As the family sheltered in place, Danford began to think ahead to her children's return to school and how she could protect them and...
Annie Koziel describes her character in Hinsdale Central High School's spring musical as melodramatic, narcissistic, insecure and oddly endearing. "She's so ridiculous, but also relatable," Koziel said of Rona Lisa Peretti, a lead character in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," opening April 22 on the Hinsdale Central stage (turn to Page 22 for details). The show centers on a fictional spelling bee at the equally fictional Putnam Valley Middle School. First produced...
How does a video game help protect kids? As a former middle school teacher and principal, Katie Gallagher is familiar with the challenges faced by teens and pre-teens. As education director at Candor Health Education in Hinsdale, she's helping students to prepare for those challenges. The newest tool in Candor's efforts to protect kids from the dangers of drugs and alcohol comes in a form familiar to today's teenagers. "Pixelton Adventures" is a video game that presents...
Why did you write your latest book? Karen Schultz is a licensed clinical social worker, spiritual teacher, medium and healer with almost four decades of experience specializing in psychotherapy and spiritual development. She's also the author of five books, the most recent of which tells the story of a little girl and her relationship with a beautiful priestess who guides her through life. Little Karen, the main character in "Little Karen and the Egyptian Priestess: How My Hig...
What started as a part-time job at the Hinsdale Public Library became a career for Ellen Smith - a career that will end with her retirement on March 31, exactly 25 years after the day she first reported to work at 20 E. Maple St. Smith was a single mother between jobs in 1997 when a friend, Hinsdale resident and former children's librarian Barbara Delongis, suggested she take a position in the library's technical services department. Now known as collection services, Smith's...
While other children his age were busy with Little League games and trips to the swimming pool, fourth-grader John Coyner of Hinsdale was researching and discussing how to confront violent extremist groups in the Middle East as a delegate at the Model United Nations and Debate Camp held each year at The Community House. Nearly eight years later, Coyner is a high school senior and a member of the National Model UN Championship team. Coyner, fellow Hinsdalean Annika Geiersbach...
