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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...
Sara Quiballo joined the staff of Hinsdale Central High School’s art & literary magazine, “Solstice,” with few expectations. But she’s leaving with accomplishments, memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. “I had no idea what they did,” said Quiballo, who joined the activity as a freshman at the urging of a friend. Three years later, the senior is head director of the publication, which just earned its second Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown award...
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...
What is your teaching philosophy? In a press release announcing the third edition of Christopher Freiler's AP European history exam prep guide, publisher Sherpa Learning calls the book "the pinnacle of excellence in AP Euro test prep resources." Students, according to the publisher, refer to the book as the "Freible". Yet despite these and countless other accolades, Freiler resists being called an expert. "I try to avoid the use of the word expert," said Freiler, who has...
Extracurricular activities can help students make new friends, explore their creativity or hone their athletic skills. They also can save lives. Hinsdale resident Emma Gerhard is a junior at Benet Academy in Lisle and co-president of the Young Hearts For Life Junior Board. Founded by Dr. Joseph Marek in 2006, YH4L performs cardiac screenings on thousands of high school students each year. In its 16-year history, YH4L has screened more than a quarter million teenagers and...
A fondness for your great grandmother's crystal candlesticks doesn't mean your entire room has to resemble a 1920s parlor. Treasured family heirlooms, one-of-a-kind antiques and even kitchy vintage finds can all fit into a modern home design that fits the owner's needs and style, said Mimi Collins, co-owner of Anecdote in downtown La Grange. A Hinsdale resident, homeowner and real estate agent, Collins owns the building at 8 W. Burlington Ave. where she opened her first...
Loren Williams joined The Community House as director of social impact late last year, but her work toward the organization's mission began more than a decade before. As a volunteer with the Community Consolidated District 180 Saturday reading program and later as a part-time clinician at The Community House, Williams has shared the organization's goal to provide social services throughout Hinsdale and the surrounding communities. When the search for a director of social...
Is it too late to plan a spring break trip? The mention of spring break often conjures images of rowdy, hard-partying college students. But the annual weeklong hiatus from school also serves as a way for families to get away. Prior to COVID-19, spring break destinations required bookings several months ahead of time. "Now, there are spots available here and there. It isn't as important to book early," said Sharon Hand, of Hinsdale Travel Service. But it is important to know...
Why did you invent the Rheoxygenator? Too much of anything can be a bad thing. That fact is what drove cardiac surgeon and entrepreneur Neil Thomas of Hinsdale to pursue a safer way to treat heart patients. "Our device is basically a blood pump," said Thomas, founder, principal inventor and chief medical officer of Chicago-based Rheoxtech. Since forming the company 15 years ago, Thomas and his team have worked to develop a device that will allow doctors to control the rate at...
Jui Khankari was used to people mispronouncing her name. But when her mother's phone followed suit, she decided to do something about it. After just a few tweaks, Khankari had taught Siri the correct pronunciation of her name, and Siri had introduced Khankari to the world of artificial intelligence. Several years later, Khankari's study of AI as a tool to detect ischemic stroke garnered the country's most prestigious science award for high school seniors - the Regeneron...
Kerry Turgeon's real estate clients tend to fall into one of two categories. And whether they're young adults planning a move from the city or empty-nesters looking for a warm retreat, Turgeon has been in their shoes. As a young mother herself, Turgeon made the difficult decision to leave the city for the suburbs. She said she understands the doubts that buyers might have, but she also knows the many things that make Hinsdale the right choice for her and so many homeowners....
John Augustyn is running out of places to display his collection of trophies, plaques and medals, but that's not stopping the three-time national geography champion from pursuing even more accolades. Augustyn's ascent into the world of academic competition began in fifth grade at the 2018 Chicago Regional National History Bee. Then a student at Notre Dame School in Clarendon Hills, he competed against students older and far more experienced. "I somehow won the whole...
You won't find any cubicles or stuffy conference rooms at Hilary Poshek's place of work. Tucked inside a nearly 100-year-old home designed by a famous local architect, Poshek's office is surrounded by 52 acres of trees and parkland known as Katherine Legge Memorial Park. As sales and events manager at The Lodge at KLM Park, Poshek spends her days showing potential event hosts what the venue has to offer and helping them to imagine how they will temporarily transform the rustic...
As co-president of the Hinsdale Middle School Parent Teacher Organization, Kristin McDaniel wants the organization's bi-monthly meetings to go beyond business updates and budget discussions. "I want the meetings to be very valuable for the people who are attending," said McDaniel, who shares the role of president with Beth Folkmann. Along with updates about the many events and projects that the PTO undertakes each year, parents who attend the group's general meetings gain valu...
